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House approves post‑election audit bill after tense debate over scope and cost
Summary
The Alabama House passed a post‑election audit measure requiring one randomly selected precinct and one race per county be audited after general elections; opponents said the audit's sampling will likely miss rare problems and voiced cost concerns.
The Alabama House passed House Bill 30, a post‑election audit measure that requires probate judges in each county to conduct a post‑election audit after every county and statewide general election.
Representative Wood, sponsor of the bill, said the measure is not a recount but a technical check to "ensure that the DS 200 tabulators that process the paper ballots are working properly" and to "increase transparency and demonstrate that elections are fair and accurate." Wood noted that the machine manufacturer recommends audits.
The bill requires a random selection process: in each county, one precinct and one race in that precinct will be audited after the general election. The floor debate exposed sharp disagreement about whether the sampling plan would be sufficient to detect rare malfeasance. Representative Gavan asked why the audit does not examine all…
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