Voting delayed in some boxes in St. Clair County due to ballot printing error

November 5, 2024 – PELL CITY, AL – hundreds of voters, who were in line to vote in the presidential election were told they would have to wait because the ballots sent to their precincts did not have the two constitutional amendments on them.

There is one statewide constitutional amendment on the ballot that would allow Franklin County to sell 225 acres of education trust property to developers for another truck stop or similar development to raise one time money funds for the Franklin County school system. That is a statewide amendment that is SUPPOSED to be on every ballot in the state.

The more pressing issue for St. Clair County voters is a county wide amendment that would disenfranchise nearly a fifth of the voters in the county from having any vote for school board. Pell City presently has an elected school amendment. The local amendment would make that an appointed board.

A spokesperson for the St. Clair County Probate Judge's office told the Alabama Gazette that it was not their fault.

"Five people proofread the ballot before it was sent to ESS – ESS is the state's company that prints the ballots," the spokesperson told the Gazette.

St. Clair County election officials did not see the ballots until 7:00 a.m. because for ballot security reasons. Once they realized that the ballots were incomplete new ballots had to be printed.

"No one was turned away from voting," the spokesperson said. "They were asked to wait."

The Alabama Gazette asked if this would invalidate the vote for the local amendment. The spokesperson said that she did not believe that it would.

The Gazette spoke with Fairhope Attorney Harry Stil III who agreed.

Still said that in a recent election in Etowah County a number of voters were given the wrong state house ballots. In that case those election results were allowed to stand. There was no doover.

"I don't think there is any flexibility," Still said.

"It should be investigated to the nth degree," Still said of the mixup.

The Pell City School System is a break away system from the St. Clair County School System. When Pell City broke away from the county system they took much of southern St. Clair County with them. Most of the growth in the last 42 years has been outside of the Pell City City limits, not in the city, so today 55% of the students who go to Pell City Schools live outside of the city limits; but their parents vote in St. Clair County School Board elections even though their kids do not go to St. Clair County schools.

Local amendment one would take away everybody's right to vote in school board elections in the Pell City schools attendance zone and replace the current elected board with an appointed board. Two members of that five member board would have to live outside of the Pell City city limits.

Election officials are printing ballots so St. Clair County voters will get to vote; but they may have to wait in long lines because of this error. Polls close at 7:00 p.m. but if you are in line at 7:00 you will still be allowed to vote.

Andrew Weathington is the St. Clair County Probate Judge.

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