Release:

A federal court issued a decision today that will help protect the health and right to vote of medically vulnerable Alabamians.

The ruling in People First of Alabama v. Merrill means Alabama voters will not need a witness or notary to vote by mail if they have an underlying medical condition and provide a statement. 

The decision also stipulates that voters 65 and older with an underlying medical condition won’t need an ID so long as they provide other identifying information such as their driver’s license number or last four digits of their Social Security number. In addition, it lifts Secretary John Merrill’s ban on curbside voting. 

The lawsuit was filed by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), Southern Poverty Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Alabama, and Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program.