GOP sweeps Alabama Supreme Court

I mentioned previously that all three positions open on the Alabama Supreme Court were won by the Republican candidates, including the seat won by former Chief Justice Roy Moore’s protege, Tom Parker. What I didn’t know is that this makes the Court a 9-0 Republican court:

All three Republican Supreme Court candidates won Tuesday as the GOP extended its 8-1 majority into a 9-0 Republican court. Republicans also captured the lone Court of Civil Appeals race on the ballot…

Moore issued a statement saying, “Tom Parker stood with me in my battle over the Ten Commandments, and I believe God has rewarded his faithfulness.”

…Republicans now also hold all the seats on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. Judge Sharon Yates, the only Democrat or woman on that five-member court, lost Tuesday to Republican Tommy Bryan. With 96 percent of the state’s precincts reporting, Yates had 810,634 votes, 48 percent, to 877,965 votes, 52 percent, for Bryan…

William Stewart, a political scientist with the University of Alabama, said coattails from President Bush’s strong Alabama showing buoyed GOP judicial candidates…

But Stewart said the GOP gains Tuesday shouldn’t dramatically alter court direction. “It’s already consistently favoring business interests.”

A court going from a 8-1 majority to a 9-0 dominance would seem unlikely to change direction due to the loss of the one Democrat. And Democrats in Alabama aren’t your Manhattan or Berkeley Democrats in their stance on social issues; the commercials I saw had Democrat candidates heavily emphasizing “family” and “conservative” values, so I don’t know that having Democrats on the court would result in very different decisions. However, having two high courts in Alabama fully comprised of Republican justices is a psychological difference.

All US House incumbents returned in Alabama

All US House seats were up for grabs yesterday, and in Alabama, every incumbent is going back. Here’s the final:

District 1 - Jo Bonner, Republican, 63% of the vote
District 2 - Terry Everett, Republican, 71%
District 3 - Mike Rogers, Republican, 61%
District 4 - Robert Aderholt, Republican, 75%
District 5 - Bud Cramer, Democrat, 73%
District 6 - Artur Davis, Democrat, 75%

Numbers rounded to the nearest whole. I apologize for not getting to this until today, but somehow in all the tension I didn’t remember that the US House seats were out there. And yes, I voted for my representative. I’m claiming exhaustion.

Congratulations to the winners.

Amendment 2 still too close to call at 2:40 a.m. CT

Amendment 2 remains too close to call at 2:40 a.m., with the no votes edging out the yeses by about 4,800 votes. The Amendment was proposed as a means of changing the language in the Alabama constitution that speaks to segregated education, a tangible reminder of Alabama’s history of slavery and segregation. Opponents claim that the current language is obviously obsolete, and does not practically deny education to anyone. They believe that some of the language changes proposed would go beyond cosmetic changes, and are actually meant to open the door for additional school taxes.

So far, with 54 precincts left to report, the opponents are winning out. I’ll update the count when the final results are in.

The other seven statewide amendments passed as follows:

Amendment 1 - YES - To allow industrial development in Baldwin County.
Amendment 3 - YES - To allow industrial development in three counties.
Amendment 4 - YES - To allow the shrimp and seafood industries in Alabama to advertise their products.
Amendment 5 - NO - To allow the City of Trussville (which straddles a county line) to levy taxes.
Amendment 6 - NO - To increase the pay of the Crenshaw County judge to that of other justices.
Amendment 7 - NO - To increase so-called “sin taxes” in Macon County.
Amendment 8 - NO - To change the taxation on some vehicles to an ad valorem basis.

I’ll post details on the other 27 amendments in a few hours. I need sleep!

Most of races called; Moore protege wins court seat

The biggest news, after Alabama was called for Bush and Senator Shelby won re-election, is that Tom Parker, protege of former Alabama Chief Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, has won a seat on the court his mentor was removed from a year ago.

The AP has called Supreme Court Place 1 for Parker, a Republican, with just over 55% of the vote and most precincts reporting. Republicans Patti Smith and Mike Bolin took the other two Supreme Court seats, with just over 61% and 59% respectively. Parker’s win, and possibly some part of the other two wins, is due at least in part to the brouhaha last year where Moore was removed from his position after refusing to remove a monument featuring the Ten Commandments from the state capitol rotunda. Many religious people in Alabama were upset at the decision to remove the monument, and also at the subsequent removal of Moore. The Republican candidate for Civil Appeals court, Tommy Bryan, also won in a tighter race, holding on to 52% of the vote.

Republican Stephanie Bell won in District 3 for a seat on the State Board of Education, with 71% of the vote; Democrats Ella Bell in District 5 and Sandra Ray in District 7 won as well.

All of the winning judges, along with Bell for the SBOE, were endorsed by the Christian Coalition, which sent around flyers with their recommendations.

The AP has information on select county races here.

Senate race to Republican incumbent Shelby

The Associated Press is calling Alabama for Bush, and is calling the Senate race for Republican incumbent Richard Shelby.

If I’m not fast enough for you with the results from Alabama, here’s where to go - from al.com:

Federal races (President, Senate, House)
State races
Statewide amendments
County by county results
And still more results, nationwide

Polls closing; NBC calls Alabama for Bush

Polls are closing now in Alabama; NBC has already called it for Bush.

Here’s a link to an early post about voting in Alabama that I missed earlier. For more updates, check out his main blog.

Church vans taking people to the polls

The rain has slowed or stopped, it’s dark in Alabama and in the middle of the state mist is rising up as people head home from work. The polls close at 7 p.m. central time, so there’s another 90 minutes for voting. I’d say the polls will be crowded with after-work voters.

The evening news didn’t give much detail on how the election was going, other than that voter turnout is high. A local church in Birmingham sent around vans to senior centers and retirement homes to take people to the polls to vote. Apparently they took more than 300 to the polls, which is a good thing.

I’ll probably wait until about 7:30 p.m. central time for the next update, after the polls have closed and begin reporting in.

Another report of high voter turnout

From Instapundit reader John Earnest in Birmingham, Alabama:

FWIW, in the population-heavy overwhelmingly Republican Birmingham suburbs (yes, there are ‘burbs here, even city-center regentrification), the turnout is astounding. Radio buzz indicates historic turnout. My own experience was a 10-fold increase in early-morning voters.

He adds comments about turnout in other places, in the post on Instapundit that is the source of the above quote.

Alabama could have record turnout, even in the rain

I just voted, at the polling place less than half a mile from my house. It’s a recreation center, and it was packed. Cars filled the lot, and some were parking across the street in the high school parking lot.

I talked to the guy who was handling provisional ballots for the polling place, and he said the voting was much higher than it usually is, even for a presidential election. He said that Alabama usually votes at about 50% of registered voters, but he’s hearing the percentage could be as high as 75% today.

He was handling a lot of provisional ballots, which are given to those who say they’re supposed to vote in that polling place but whose names are not on the list there. He said he thought the cause was that the voting districts changed last year, and people who used to vote in the recreation center were supposed to go somewhere else now. He had heard that the state had a high percentage of return on notices sent out to people about the district change, so that may have had an impact.

Alabama votes with paper ballots, at least where I voted. It’s the first time I’ve used a paper ballot. We had to complete an arrow for the selection we wanted. Very straight forward, difficult to do incorrectly and also difficult to make confusing. There was even a diagram at the top showing how to do it. When I turned in my ballot at about 11:45 a.m., the man who stood guard at the machines that take and read the ballots said there had been 700 voters already today.

The rain has slacked off, so maybe the rest of the day will be clear. And that may not matter – it’s apparently been hectic even with the rain. There were two law enforcement officers stationed at the center, a city officer and a county deputy. I’m sure there’ll be no shenanigans in that polling place!

UPDATE: I wrote this about noon, but couldn’t get on at the library to post it. As of 12:20 p.m., when I did finally get home and get it posted, it was raining again. It will be interesting to see if there’s record turnout anyway.

Mother Nature is suppressing my vote!

Despite claims by local weathermen that light rain showers would be the order of the day, I’m sitting at my desk watching a downpour outside my window. The polling place where I vote is half a mile around the block from my house. Can I make it in this rain? Should I even try? And why is the ceiling air vent in my bathroom dripping water?

These and other questions will be answered as the day progresses.

Amendments affecting only one Alabama county

There are a total of 35 amendments on Alabama ballots today, but only eight of them are on all ballots statewide. The remaining 27 affect only one county each, and will appear only on that county’s ballot. The Birmingham News has a list of all the county amendments, for voters to read before going to the polling places.

Voting details for Alabama

NBC 13 News - the best local news in the Birmingham area - has several links of value for Alabama voters: Details on voting times and what kind of identification is required; explanation of the provisional ballot; and a recap of the 8 amendments on the ballot statewide.

For anyone who has a problem with voting, or sees evidence of inappropriate voting activity in Alabama: Attorney General Troy King’s office is operating a toll-free hotline Monday through Friday at 800-831-8814.

Weather in Alabama

Most polls in Alabama open in 7 minutes. The weather is overcast in central Alabama, and a band of showers running the length of the state are going to cause intermittent rain throughout the day. However, the rain isn’t expected to be hard or constant, so hopefully it won’t have much of an effect.

I’ll be going to vote in a few minutes, so I’ll report back on what’s happening then.

A referendum on former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore

Last fall, a nine-member Court of the Judiciary in Alabama removed Roy Moore, the state’s Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, from his position because of his refusal to remove a monument featuring the Ten Commandments from the state courthouse rotunda. It was a divisive issue in Alabama, rousing the ire of religious conservatives concerned that it was another example of secularists pushing religion out of the public square. This election has the potential to be a referendum of sorts on whether Moore still has much support in Alabama.

The answer will come in the fortunes of his friend and colleague, Tom Parker, who is running for Place 1 on the state Supreme Court. Parker was appointed Deputy Administrative Director of Courts by Moore in 2001, and was removed from his position with the state government when Moore was removed. The “Meet Tom Parker” section on his website makes his extensive association with Christian causes clear:

…[H]e was a partner in Parker & Kotouc, P.C., the Montgomery law firm that handled the Mobile School Prayer Case (Wallace v. Jaffree) and the Humanism Textbook Case (Smith v. Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County). Tom Parker was known for his defense of churches, ministries, Christian schools, and homeschooling…

Tom was founding Executive Director of the Alabama Family Alliance and, later, the founding Executive Director for the Alabama Family Advocates, which are state organizations associated with Dr. James Dobson and Focus on the Family. He lobbied for the family and Christian values in the Alabama Legislature.

Parker’s opponent is Democrat Robert Smith, who has garnered quite a few editorial endorsements from newspapers around the state. Here’s what The Birmingham News - which also endorsed Bush for President - had to say about the race:

Democrat Robert H. Smith is far and away the best choice. The Mobile lawyer is widely respected and has broad experience that will serve the citizens of Alabama well on the Supreme Court.

He has represented some of the most vulnerable Alabamians - children, like his own daughter, who have disabilities and special needs - as well as powerful business interests. Smith promises to treat everyone equally under the law, and he will come to the court having no other agenda.

The same can’t be said for his Republican opponent, who is running on his connections to former Chief Justice Roy Moore and who represents the same kind of ideology and disrespect for the law as Moore. Moreover, he took big donations from plaintiff trial lawyers during the Republican primary, and he has embarrassed his own party with his unabashed association with organizations identified as hate groups.

Smith is a much better choice, and we strongly recommend him for the state’s highest court.

Both men have long legal careers under their belts, so it’s not so much a question of which is more qualified. It’s really an ideological difference, and tomorrow we’ll see what the citizens of Alabama think.

Who's running in Alabama?

The Birmingham News provides a list of candidates in all national and state elections in Alabama, complete with a bio of each. It’s a heavy year in Alabama. A summary:

Federal races: Incumbent Richard Shelby is up for re-election to the US Senate, facing African-American Democrat Wayne Sowell. Sowell has made state history as the first African-American candidate nominated by a major party for Senate. Shelby is seeking his fourth term in the Senate; prior to that, he served for eight years in the US House of Representatives.

All seven US Congressional districts are up for election, and in only one race - Spencer Bachus in the 6th District - is there no challenger.

State races: Three positions on the State Supreme Court are up for election, and they look to be hard-fought. The races are partisan, and the Republicans have emphasized conservative values in their campaigns. A friend gave me a voting guide from the Christian Coalition with a list of their main issues along with the position of the candidates on those issues. All three of the Democrat candidates for office are listed as “no response” on the issues. One of the Republican candidates, Tom Parker, is listed as “decline” to respond, while the other two - Patti Smith and Michael Bolin - do give their responses. The issues highlighted by the Christian Coalition handout are:

Unborn child is a fellow human being
Oppose gambling
State can acknowledge God
Judicial activism is never appropriate
Judicial branch can impose taxes

That gives you a good idea of what’s on the minds of conservative religious voters in Alabama. I’m not sure that refusing to respond to those issues will hurt Democrats among those who are undecided between the candidates; if asked the Democrats would probably say it’s inappropriate for a judge to have official opinions on social issues. It’s a valid position and one that would resonate with voters. However, I’m sure the Democrats also recognize that openly taking some positions in Alabama would ensure their failure, and it’s best not to open that door even a little bit.

[UPDATE: 6:30 p.m. Monday - I just saw a television ad from one of the Democrat judge candidates. It mentioned his defense of “conservative” values, without mentioning specific issues. A strike back at the Christian Coalition flyer?]

There is one race for a position on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. The Democrat, Sharon Yates, is the incumbent, and she is challenged by Republican Tommy Bryan. The Christian Coalition has included this race on its flyer, with the same issues as for the State Supreme Court.

The race for president of the Alabama Public Service Commission is no race at all - Republican incumbent Jim Sullivan is running unopposed.

Four positions on the State Board of Education are up for election, but one incumbent - Republican Randy McKinney in District 1 - is unopposed. The other three - Districts 3, 5 and 7 - have candidates from both parties, two with Democrat incumbents and one with a Republican incumbent. The Christian Coalition includes two of these races - District 3 and 7 - in their flyer, asking the candidates to respond with their positions on the following issues:

Education choice for parents
Public schools teaching homosexuality as acceptable lifestyle
Increase property taxes
Prohibit abortion
Establishment of a state lottery

As with the judge candidates, the Democrats are both listed with a “no response”. And again, responding to the Christian Coalition is really no-win situation for them, and I’m assuming most voters realize that a “no response” isn’t a strong “I’m against what you’re for” answer. The Christian Coalition base in Alabama is not going to have a lot of overlap with the Democrat base in the state. Interestingly, only one of the state board races in the Christian Coalition flyer has a Democrat incumbent; they don’t list the other race with a Democrat incumbent. I’m curious as to why.

Amendment 2 causes stir in Alabama; 35 total on ballot

Everyone agrees that Alabama is solidly in the Bush column by double digits, so there’s not a lot of tension in the presidential race here. However, there are important races and issues on the state and local levels, and I’ll be reporting on those through Tuesday (and beyond, if necessary).

There’s sound and fury surrounding at least one of the amendments on the Alabama ballot this election. Proposed Amendment 2 is touted by bipartisan supporters as necessary to change segregationist language hanging on in the state’s constitution, but opponents claim it’s an effort to ease the way for school tax increases. Besides the obvious reasons, it’s drawn attention because former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore opposes it. Moore, if you remember, drew national attention when he refused to remove a monument featuring the Ten Commandments from an Alabama government building. He subsequently was removed from his court position as a result of his refusal.

This article in The Birmingham News details both sides of the fight, and is also the source for the following summary of the other proposed amendments. I’m highlighting 7 that involve more than one county in the state; there are 27 others that involve only one county:

Amendment 1 would let city and county governments in 18 counties, including Jefferson and Shelby, buy and develop industrial sites and lease, sell or give them to businesses.

Amendment 3 would broaden the scope of proposed Amendment 1 and give all city and county governments the power to buy land and buildings to develop industrial sites, and then lease, sell or give those sites to companies willing to do business on the sites…

Amendment 4 would let shrimp and seafood producers vote to impose fees on themselves to promote their products.

Amendment 5 would let Trussville [a small city adjacent to Birmingham] residents decide whether to raise city property taxes for schools…

Amendment 6 would change salary requirements for the probate judge of Crenshaw County…

Amendment 7 would let the Legislature pass laws to let the Macon County Commission raise sales taxes on tobacco, liquor and wine.

Amendment 8 would raise about $2.6 million a year by repealing state property taxes on vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds and imposing a state excise tax that would range from $80 to $875 a year, depending on the age and weight of the vehicle…

Voters in some counties will decide the fate of 27 other proposed amendments that would affect just one county each and will be decided by voters in only that county.

Emphasis added. I’ll be reporting on the outcome of the other 27 amendments as well.