Voter turnout sagging in troubled voting rights hub of Selma
JAY REEVES, Associated Press
March 4, 2022
Updated: March 4, 2022 12:18 a.m.
SELMA, Ala. (AP) — Fewer and fewer people are voting in Selma, Alabama. And to many, that is particularly heartbreaking.
They lament that almost six decades after Black demonstrators on the city’s Edmond Pettus Bridge risked their lives for the right to cast ballots, voting in predominantly Black Selma and surrounding Dallas County has steadily declined. Turnout in 2020 was under 57%, among the worst in the state.
“It should not be that way. We should have a large voter turnout in all elections,” said Michael Jackson, a Black district attorney elected with support from voters of all races.
Thousands will gather March 6 for this year’s re-enactment of the bridge crossing to honor the foot soldiers of that “Bloody Sunday” in 1965. Downtown will resemble a huge street festival during the event, known as the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, with thousands of visitors, blaring music and vendors selling food and T-shirts.
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https://www.chron.com/news/article/Voter-turnout-sagging-in-troubled-voting-rights-16976470.php