Alabama Secretary of State News

Alabama Secretary of State Newshttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/OfficeOfSoS/News.aspxGet the Latest News and Press Releases from the Secretary of State of Alabama60ACLU Lawsuit Against Chapman Dismissedhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=975

MONTGOMERY – An order was released last night from Judge Tracey McCooey dismissing the ACLU’s law suit against Secretary of State Beth Chapman which challenged Alabama’s felon voting laws.

MONTGOMERY – An order was released last night from Judge Tracey McCooey dismissing the ACLU’s law suit against Secretary of State Beth Chapman which challenged Alabama’s felon voting laws.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=975Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:36:00 GMTSecretary Chapman Announces State of Alabama’s Official Election Center Websitehttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=928

MONTGOMERY- Alabama’s Chief Elections Official, Secretary of State Beth Chapman, announced a new state -wide elections service developed over the past two months and launched today by her office which is the State of Alabama’s Official Election Center. The new website www.alabamavotes.gov provides essential and helpful information at the finger-tips of Alabama’s voters.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=928Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:30:00 GMTSecretary Chapman to Address a National Military and Overseas Citizens Voting Summithttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=910

MONTGOMERY- Secretary of State Beth Chapman will be a featured panelist at the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Military and Overseas Citizens Voting Summit today. The summit will be held in Washington, D.C. In addition, Chapman appeared on C-SPAN for an hour long interview Monday morning and represented Alabama regarding the issue of military voting.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=910Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMTSecretary Chapman Reports Receiving a Record Number of Voter Registration Applicationshttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=881

MONTGOMERY- Secretary of State Beth Chapman said her staff is receiving a record number of voter registration applications, as are many of the sixty-seven counties’ Boards of Registrars.

MONTGOMERY- Secretary of State Beth Chapman said her staff is receiving a record number of voter registration applications, as are many of the sixty-seven counties’ Boards of Registrars.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=881Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:48:00 GMTChapman Succeeds in Fulfilling Long Awaited Request for UCC Online Searching http://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=870

MONTGOMERY- Secretary of State Beth Chapman continues to honor her campaign promises to make the processes of the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office more efficient and effective for Alabama businesses. The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) public records search capability has been improved to allow business users to purchase images of the searched filings online based on the recommendations of the UCC Advisory Board established by Chapman at the beginning of her term. The search-with-images system has been the most requested service from UCC public records users in this decade.

MONTGOMERY- Secretary of State Beth Chapman joins the National Association of Secretaries of State in announcing September as National Voter Registration Month. “It is my goal to encourage every single Alabamian who meets the legal requirements to vote in the November 4th General Election to register to do so,” Chapman said. By law, the deadline for registration for the November 4th Election is October 24th, which is 10 days prior to the election.

MONTGOMERY- Secretary of State Beth Chapman says she has received information that Reverend Al Sharpton will come to Alabama with a bus of civil rights activists to register voters for the November elections and to ensure that those who think they are registered really are. Chapman says she will welcome anyone who would like to encourage voter participation and register Alabama citizens who meet the legal requirements for voter registration. In order to discourage those who would violate elections laws, Chapman has asked that the U.S. Department of Justice send the largest number of elections observers and election attorneys possible into the state.

MONTGOMERY - Secretary of State Beth Chapman announced today that she and her staff began making plans last week for the potential threat of bad weather for tomorrow’s municipal Election Day across the state.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=829Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:52:00 GMTSecretary Chapman Calls on All Secretaries of State to Start Voter Fraud Unitshttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=814

MONTGOMERY - Secretary of State Beth Chapman sent letters today to all Secretaries of State across the nation calling on them to form Voter Fraud Units in their states. Chapman, who has led the effort in stopping voter fraud in Alabama, has received many comments from other Secretaries of State and citizens outside of Alabama about their experiencing some of the same problems Alabama has recently experienced.

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman reports that two months after the June primary election and 65 business days prior to the November Presidential general election, new allegations of voter fraud continue on a weekly basis. More than ten new complaints have come in during the past two weeks alone. http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=797Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:39:00 GMTSecretary Chapman Announces Veterans Who Vote Programhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=757

MONTGOMERY—Secretary of State Beth Chapman announced Saturday a new initiative entitled, Veterans Who Vote. She made the announcement at the Birmingham Marriot during a homecoming celebration for National Guard Soldiers, C-Company, 1-167th Infantry out of Cullman returning from a one year tour in Iraq.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=757Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:11:00 GMTMore Voter Fraud Allegations from Perry Countyhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=754

MONTGOMERY - The Secretary of State’s Office continues to receive reports of voter fraud in Perry County, this time in a municipal election. Figures from the June 10th municipal election in Marion show a 59% voter turn out rate with 29 % of those votes cast by absentee ballots. In the June 3rd statewide primary, the numbers in Perry County showed 50.3 % voter turn out and 26% of those votes were cast by absentee ballots.

Dear Editor: I would like to thank the more than three hundred people who attended the Democracy Defense League’s rally against voter fraud at Marion Military Institute last week. It is with great appreciation that I write this letter to commend the DDL for their proactive approach and desire to see fair and honest elections across our state. Colonel James Benson and his staff are to be commended, as well, for sharing their beautiful facilities with us and being such gracious hosts.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=715Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:26:00 GMTSecretary of State Beth Chapman reminds voters that separate Absentee Ballot Applications are necessary to Vote in June 3rd Primary Election and July 15th Primary Runoff Electionhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=698

MONTGOMERY - Secretary of State Beth Chapman reminds all voters wishing to vote by absentee ballot in the July 15, 2008 primary runoff election that they must apply for an absentee ballot for that election and that such absentee ballot applications must be received by the absentee election manager no later than July 10, 2008.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=698Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:41:00 GMTNew SOS Unit Dedicated to Stop Voter Fraudhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=692

MONTGOMERY - Secretary of State Beth Chapman has announced a new Voter Fraud Unit within the Secretary of State’s office dedicated to dealing with reports of voter fraud. With claims of voter fraud continuing to come in from the June 3rd primary, Secretary Chapman has appointed members of her legal and elections staff to be trained to speak with those individuals who have such reports. “It is important for the citizens of Alabama who have reports of voter fraud to know that someone is here to listen and to gather the information in a manner which complies with the law. It is also important for these individuals to know that appropriate action is being taken with their complaint” Chapman stated. Secretary Chapman emphasized that all reports will be kept confidential.

MONTGOMERY - Secretary of State Beth Chapman is hosting an open meeting on Military and Overseas Voting Thursday, June 19th in the State Capitol Auditorium from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

MONTGOMERY - Secretary of State Beth Chapman is hosting an open meeting on Military and Overseas Voting Thursday, June 19th in the State Capitol Auditorium from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=689Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:07:00 GMTReports of Voter Fraud Continuehttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=685

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman announced today that one week and two days after the Primary Election, reports of voter fraud continue to pour into her office.

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman announced today that one week and two days after the Primary Election, reports of voter fraud continue to pour into her office.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=685Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:13:00 GMTSecretary Chapman Says Perry County Numbers Unusually Highhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=660

MONTGOMERY – With speculation already at an all-time high that voting violations could have potentially occurred in Perry County, Secretary of State Beth Chapman announced their unofficial vote totals today referring to them as “unusually high.”http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=660Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:28:00 GMTSecretary Chapman follows up on Alleged Violationshttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=658

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman made good on her commitment today to follow up on allegations of potential violations of election laws in Perry County in yesterday’s primary.

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman made good on her commitment today to follow up on allegations of potential violations of election laws in Perry County in yesterday’s primary.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=658Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:58:00 GMTFederal Observers Report Possible Elections Violations to Secretary of State Beth Chapmanhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=657

MONTGOMERY – After 1:00 PM today, a federal observer from the Department of Justice notified Secretary of State Beth Chapman’s office of potential violations of state elections laws. One report involves a law which prohibits candidates from being closer than thirty feet to the entrance of a polling place. The federal observer specifically stated that a candidate was loitering in the polling place throughout the entire day. In addition, the federal observer reported that the candidate appeared to be instructing voters how to vote.

WASHINGTON – Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman was called to testify before the Committee on House Administration as an expert witness on military and overseas voting efforts. Secretary Chapman not only represented the state of Alabama, but the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS).http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=659Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:11:00 GMTNo Internet voting for military this yearhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=497

A senior Pentagon official said Tuesday that the problems experienced by service members trying to vote by absentee ballot can only be resolved by using the Internet — but that won’t be possible in time for the fall elections.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=497Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:30:00 GMTSecretary Chapman Welcomes Secretary Rice to Alabama, Testifies Before Congresshttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=492

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman has a busier schedule than usual this week which begins tomorrow morning welcoming U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Alabama.

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman has a busier schedule than usual this week which begins tomorrow morning welcoming U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Alabama.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=492Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:32:00 GMTMilitary and Overseas Voting Forum to be Heldhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=345

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman announced today that an Inaugural Military and Overseas Voting Forum will be held with speakers from national agencies to discuss ways to better assist and equip members of our military and overseas personnel to vote. The forum will be held at the new Montgomery Renaissance Hotel on Wednesday, March 12th from 1:30-5:30 p.m.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=345Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:16:00 GMTAlabama Has Record-Breaking Presidential Primaryhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=274

Super Tuesday in Alabama was just that – super. With 40% of registered voters casting their votes in the Presidential Primary, there was historic voter turnout. The last Presidential Primary attracted only 17% of Alabamians and the largest percentage voting in a Presidential Primary prior to this one was 29%.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=274Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:03:00 GMTChapman Receives National VFW Awardhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=255

MONTGOMERY – Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman received a national Award of Commendation from the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States at the state VFW conference held this weekend. The Award of Commendation Medal was presented to Secretary Chapman in recognition of her many efforts to assist the military and their families in championing their causes and leading the effort to bring electronic internet voting to the troops as they serve abroad.

With Alabama’s first early Presidential Primary scheduled for February 5, America is listening to the voice of Alabamians. They are listening because our votes have basically been cast after the fact in past Presidential Primaries. For years Alabamians have had little say and less attention for our thoughts and opinions regarding who our President would be so this year is our chance to be heard.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=233Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:40:00 GMTAlabama Answers Secretary Chapman’s Call for Wounded Military Membershttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=204

MONTGOMERY – The Secretary of State’s Office announced today that Alabamians overwhelmingly answered Secretary of State Beth Chapman’s call to collect domestic prepaid telephone calling cards for wounded servicemen and women for Christmas this year. A strong advocate of our state and nation’s military, Chapman asked Alabamians to enhance our military’s Christmas Season as a small token of our appreciation for their invaluable service to our state and nation.

MONTGOMERY – Today Secretary of State Beth Chapman launches the new electronic UCC Filing system on the Secretary of State website http://www.sos.alabama.gov/.

MONTGOMERY – Today Secretary of State Beth Chapman launches the new electronic UCC Filing system on the Secretary of State website http://www.sos.alabama.gov/.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=181Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:39:00 GMTChapman to Collect Phone Cards for Wounded Military Membershttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=172

http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=172Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:12:00 GMTSecretary Chapman and Judge Ingram Work on Voting Guidelines over the Holidayshttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=171

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman and Clay County Probate Judge George Ingram will represent Alabama at the United State Election Assistance Commission December 11-14, 2007 in Austin, Texas to consider presentations on the proposed Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG). The board is composed of 110 members drawn from State and local election officials from across the country.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=171Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:55:00 GMTSecretary Chapman Initiates Huntsville and Decatur UCC Online Filinghttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=170

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman continued to implement business improvements in the State by accepting Huntsville’s and Decatur’s first UCC online filings at two North Alabama bank branches First Commercial Bank of Huntsville Alabama Main Branch and Bank Independent Decatur Downtown on Tuesday, November 27, 2007.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=170Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:38:00 GMTDemocracy for the Defenders of Democracy Itselfhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=127

By: Secretary of State Beth Chapman -- This November as we celebrate Veterans Day and memorialize the untold sacrifices of Alabama’s military members, we should commit to ensuring that every one of them has the ability to cast their vote at home while serving abroad. This will be more important than ever with Alabama having our first early Presidential Primary on February 5, 2008.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=127Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:24:00 GMTSecretary of State Launches “New and Improved” Websitehttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=123

MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman and her staff launched a “new and improved” website today. This is the first major overhaul of the Secretary of State’s website in almost a decade.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=123Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:47:00 GMTChapman Makes Alabama First in Overseas/Military Votinghttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=115

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman joined The Pew Charitable Trusts and Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF) today in announcing new Web-based voter services to help the 91,854 Alabamians and more than six million Americans total who are members of the military and civilians living overseas—take the first steps necessary to vote in upcoming elections. Secretary Chapman was one of only two Secretaries of State invited to participate in the national news conference, and has been an active proponent for the military’s right to vote. Alabama is the first of only three states to offer this new technology to our military and overseas voters.

Montgomery -- Secretary of State Beth Chapman is being featured in a Public Service Announcement (PSA), which was launched late yesterday at the Pentagon and will be aired on all eight Armed Forces Networks including the Pentagon Channel for the next two months. It will be seen around the world by members of all branches of our military encouraging them to vote an absentee ballot.

Secretary of State Beth Chapman has "made good" on one of her campaign promises to make the processes of the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office more efficient and effective for Alabama businesses. Secretary Chapman established a UCC Reform Advisory Board, with representatives from various agricultural, financial, and insurance institutions that investigated procedures of the Uniform Commercial Code Division of the Secretary of State’s Office.

Secretary of State Beth Chapman encourages every registered citizen to vote in Tuesday’s June 5, 2007 Statewide Special Constitutional Amendment Election. There are also two local amendments to be voted on in Mobile County, and in Shelby County.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=26Fri, 01 Jun 2007 13:38:00 GMTHB800 - Military / Overseas Voter Legislationhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=27

House Bill 800 is a bill regarding an electronic voting system for military and overseas voters. [PDF attachment]

House Bill 800 is a bill regarding an electronic voting system for military and overseas voters. [PDF attachment]http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=27Mon, 07 May 2007 13:39:00 GMTChapman Builds Coalition for Military Voting Legislationhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=36

Secretary of State Beth Chapman has forged a bipartisan coalition of Gov. Bob Riley and the legislative leadership to push for an electronic voting system for military and overseas voters.

Secretary of State Beth Chapman has forged a bipartisan coalition of Gov. Bob Riley and the legislative leadership to push for an electronic voting system for military and overseas voters.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=36Wed, 02 May 2007 15:13:00 GMTChapman seeks electronic voting for Alabama military in 2008http://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=37

Secretary of State Beth Chapman announced today that Alabama’s first step in electronic voting for members of our military was made. Chapman hosted a conference call with key leaders of national organizations to discuss the common commitment she and Governor Bob Riley share in making Alabama a "flagship" state for military voting.http://www.sos.alabama.gov/PR/PR.aspx?ID=37Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:14:00 GMTHearts to Soles Foster Children Charityhttp://www.sos.alabama.gov/pr/pr.aspx?ID=38

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, followed by May which is National Foster Care Month. The Alabama Foster and Adoptive Parents Association and the Alabama Secretary of State’s office are partnering together in a statewide shoe collection campaign called "Hearts to Soles" to collect 6,000 pairs of shoes – one pair for each foster child in Alabama. If you want to do your part to help Alabama’s abused and neglected children here is your chance to walk your talk or rather talk your walk– literally!

MONTGOMERY - Secretary of State Beth Chapman is forming a UCC Advisory Board to evaluate business procedures in the Secretary of State’s Office. The first meeting will be held Wednesday, February 7, 2007 at 10 a.m. in the Star Wars Room at the Alabama State House in Montgomery. The public is invited to attend.