He cried foul when Republican incumbent candidate for the Jackson County School Board, Mike Matthews, was removed from the vote due to a technical error.

“The Ethics Commission needs to give equal treatment under the law, and the Secretary of State needs to take responsibility as the chief election official and make sure that this issue is addressed,” Matthews said shortly after learning of his disqualification. said in a release.

Tom Albritton, director of the Alabama Ethics Commission, said there was never any unfair treatment and pointed out that the commission does not actually disqualify anyone.

“We certify whether someone submitted the correct form,” Albritton said. “Whether or not a candidate appears on the ballot is really someone else's decision.”

Alabama law requires candidates to submit a Statement of Economic Interest (SEI) form within five days of qualifying. This form provides public access to information about a candidate's sources of income and ensures transparency of a candidate's financial interests.

Although failure to properly submit such documents on time is technically a disqualification, election officials have ignored this technicality in the past.

In 2016, Troy Clerk Alton Sterling ignored mistakes made by numerous candidates when filing SEI forms, ultimately allowing two candidates to make it to the council despite technical disqualifications. Voted.

Since Mr. Matthews first made the complaint, numerous candidates from both political parties have made the same mistake and been disqualified.

AL.com reported that 13 Democratic candidates in Jefferson County alone have been disqualified for the same reason, creating a crisis for the party.

“My focus over the next few days is to help them in any way possible as they seek to get back on the ballot,” Wayne Rogers, chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic Party, told AL.com. “We will do everything in our power to make sure that happens.”

At least nine candidates were disqualified from the ballot in Walker County due to technicalities, according to the Daily Mountain Eagle. Alexander City Outlook reports that two candidates, one Republican and one Democratic, will be removed from the vote for failing to submit paperwork by the deadline.

In Montgomery, Arva Reed, the sister of Mayor Stephen Reed, will also be disqualified from appearing on the Montgomery County Commission ballot due to the same error, the Montgomery Independent reported.

ALGOP Chairman John Wall told APR on Tuesday that the disqualification of these Democratic candidates was due to the efforts of the Alabama Republican Party.

“Before we got involved, the majority were Republicans,” Wahl said.

Wall said the party has contacted local election officials, including the Jefferson County elections director, to notify them that the Democratic candidate did not file paperwork in a timely manner.