TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, Ala. — Tuscaloosa County citizens presented findings from a six-month review of county voter rolls to the Tuscaloosa County Commission on Sept. 16, identifying tens of thousands of active registrations they believe meet the criteria for inactive status, deceased registrants and difficulty obtaining absentee-voter records.

Sharon Turner, a Tuscaloosa County voter from District 4, told commissioners that members of the local election-integrity team had been reviewing county voter records covering the years 2020 through 2025.

“We want to stress that this is a nonpartisan issue,” Turner said. “We want to work together with you.”

Turner said the group’s concerns extend beyond individual voter records to the structure used to maintain Alabama’s voter-registration system. She argued that local election officials have lost too much control over voter-roll maintenance to a centralized state system and said county registrars do not have access to all of the information they would need to independently verify certain voter qualifications.

She also cited state and federal voter-roll findings that she said demonstrate the importance of maintaining accurate local voter records.

More than 34,000 active registrations questioned

Bob Bagwell, a Tuscaloosa County resident from Commission District 3, told commissioners that his review identified 34,152 registrations that he believes met the criteria to be changed from active to inactive status but remained active through 2025.

Under Alabama law, voters who fail to vote for four years are placed on an inactive voter list. Inactive status does not remove a voter from the rolls or eliminate the voter’s right to vote.

Bagwell gave examples of registrations dating back decades that remained active despite showing no voting history. One voter, identified during the presentation only by the last four digits 2631, had been registered since 1963 but had never voted, according to Bagwell. Another, ending in 6285, had been registered since 1970 without a recorded vote.

“The purging process does not begin for these voters,” Bagwell told commissioners.

Commission Chairman Ward D. “Rob” Robertson III later said Tuscaloosa County had approximately 146,500 registered voters, including roughly 20,000 listed as inactive.

Under Alabama election procedures, however, an inactive voter must first complete a Voter Reidentification “Update” Form (NVRA-20). If the updated information confirms that the voter is at the proper polling place, the voter may cast a regular ballot, and the completed form is subsequently returned to the county Board of Registrars. If the updated address shows that the voter has moved to a different polling place within the county, the voter is directed to the proper polling place and casts a provisional ballot. Once the required provisional-ballot and voter-update forms are received by the Board of Registrars, the ballot should be counted.

Deceased registrations identified

Bagwell also said the review identified 34 deceased people who remained on Tuscaloosa County’s voter rolls.

He presented examples that included a registrant who died in October 2022 but remained active nearly three years later and another who died in June 2021 but remained active more than four years later.

Commissioner Mark Nelson asked whether the first individual had voted after death. Bagwell said neither of the two examples had.

Bagwell then described a separate voter record showing that a person listed as 118 years old voted in 2024.

Robertson said the record should be reported and investigated, while also noting that an incorrect date of birth could potentially explain the age shown in the record.

Absentee-voter records become another issue

Bagwell also described his attempts to obtain Tuscaloosa County absentee-voter records.

He said he initially contacted the circuit clerk’s office seeking the records under Alabama Code §17-11-5 but was told that specific approval from the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office was required. Bagwell said that after several months he was directed to a different statutory provision governing general voter records and submitted a request through the Secretary of State’s Office, but had not received the requested information.

Bagwell said he intends to continue requesting the absentee-voter records under the statute specifically governing those records.

Alabama Code §17-11-5 provides that the list of electors voting by absentee ballot remains confidential until the day following the election. The absentee election manager then delivers a copy to the Board of Registrars, at which point it becomes a public record. The statute provides that the list is maintained in the circuit clerk’s office for 60 days following the election before being delivered to the judge of probate.

State and federal voter-roll findings cited

Turner also cited statewide findings involving noncitizens on Alabama voter rolls.

She referred to a January 2026 announcement from the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office reporting 186 noncitizens registered to vote statewide. According to the county breakdown Turner referenced, nine were identified in Tuscaloosa County.

Tuscaloosa County does not appear to have any registrations showing voting history.

Turner also cited a July 13 Department of Homeland Security report that she said identified 465 noncitizens on Alabama voter rolls and 33,165 deceased individuals.

Those statewide comparisons do not by themselves establish that the identified registrations resulted in votes being cast.

Turner argued that the findings illustrate weaknesses in the current voter-registration system and reinforce the need for greater local oversight and access to the information necessary to maintain accurate voter rolls.

Robertson responds to citizen concerns

Robertson thanked Turner, Bagwell and others involved in the review for their vigilance and said citizens should continue bringing potential problems to the attention of election officials.

He said the record involving the voter listed as 118 years old should be reported immediately so that it could be investigated.

Robertson also explained the division of responsibility for voter registration. He said Tuscaloosa County’s Board of Registrars is appointed through state government and that the County Commission itself has no jurisdiction over the registrars or voter-registration databases. Tuscaloosa County’s official election information likewise directs voter-registration matters to the state-appointed Tuscaloosa County Board of Registrars.

Robertson said modern registration systems and databases can create problems when different systems do not communicate correctly, particularly when voters move between jurisdictions.

He also noted Tuscaloosa County’s large transient population, including students, as one factor that can complicate voter-roll maintenance.

Robertson encouraged the group to continue bringing specific concerns forward so they could be properly examined and said the Board of Registrars should be part of the conversation.

Nelson thanked the group for attending and presenting its findings.

Turner told commissioners the group planned to return in approximately three weeks and said its objective was to help Tuscaloosa County “shine in true election integrity.”