Candidates in the state are almost always denied entry on the ballot because they don't follow Alabama's rules. A law that requires candidates to submit a statement of financial interest.

This form requires candidates to list their sources of income and provide household income and debt information, if any.

In the Birmingham area alone, 13 Jefferson County candidates who were removed by the Alabama Secretary of State violated this law. Candidates in Bibb, Perry, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery counties were also banned from campaigning.

Nine candidates in Walker County and two candidates in Alexander City were also barred from campaigning for failing to file financial interest filings.

The Perry County Democratic Party has decided to remove County Commissioner Ben Eaton from the Perry County primary election ballot.

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This also concerned the failure to submit a statement of economic interest to the Secretary of State's office.

Arva Reed, the sister of Montgomery Mayor Stephen Reed, also failed to file a financial interest declaration and was barred from appearing on Montgomery's ballot.

Failure to submit economic interest forms is not the only reason candidates face voting access restrictions.

The Alabama Republican Party State Executive Committee has an ordinance that states candidates who endorse members of the opposing party during a primary or general election may be subject to ballot review.

Attorney Darold Matthews filed to run in Bibb County through the Alabama Republican Party headquarters. Matthews later learned that her name was missing from the list of approved candidates sent to the Secretary of State's office.

Matthews' access to the ballot was limited by two campaign contributions he made in 2018 to Democratic candidates running for circuit judge and probate judge.

In Tuscaloosa, businessman Tripp Powell was removed from the state Senate ballot because of his campaign contributions to Democrats in the last election.

Powell supported Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox in the 2018 gubernatorial race.

Campaign contributions to opponents are a major factor in removing candidates from the ballot by the state Republican Executive Committee.

The Alabama Republican Party Statute states, “A person may not be entitled to vote for a candidate for public office or party office if he or she participated in another party's primary and publicly supported a candidate of another party in the previous election. It says in part that he has the authority to “refuse.'' Have contributed financially to a political party or independent candidate, a candidate of another political party or an independent candidate, or been a member or officer of a club affiliated strictly with another political party. ”

“The provisions of this rule shall apply for a period of six years after such person joins, but any actions taken by an incumbent Republican or 2022 Republican candidate prior to the passage of this amended standing rule shall be taken into account. be excluded from.”

Grayson Everett is the state and politics editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270