City To Request Extension Of Governor's Order For March Elections

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — The city of Tuscaloosa will soon request Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to extend her emergency executive order through March 2 in an effort to allow for the same expansive absentee voting opportunities offered during the November General Election.

Click here to subscribe to our daily email newsletters and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices for free. You can also support local journalism by donating as little as $5 a month to become a supporting member or by downloading our free Patch mobile app.

Mayor Walt Maddox said his office had already been in contact with the governor's office and Secretary of State John Merrill, saying without the emergency order, the Secretary of State doesn’t have the ability to allow the city to expand absentee voting for its March 2 municipal election.

"Tuscaloosa, to my knowledge is the only municipality with an election on March 2 in Alabama," Maddox said. "Certainly, we’re going to look for guidance from the governor’s office and Secretary of State's office."

Maddox, who has already expressed an intention to seek re-election in March, informed the City Council during its pre-meeting briefings on Tuesday that they could expect to see a resolution presented during pre-council next week.

"We know the expanded absentee voting was popular during the past election, so we want to begin that process," he said. "I know [City Clerk Carly Standridge] has already had discussions with the Secretary of State's office regarding this. We’ve heard from citizens who wanted to know if they can vote by mail through that expanded absentee process, so we’re going to begin working on that."

Standridge also pointed out that the qualifying period for the March 2021 municipal election will begin on Jan. 12 and run through Jan. 26. The mayor then expressed his belief that the city, state and nation will still be dealing with coronavirus-related issues at that time based on current trends.

Follow Patch here for updates or on Facebook and Twitter.