Talladega 2025 Special Election Guide

Transform Alabama seeks to provide practical civic education, build community,andincreaseconstituentengagement.

Wedonotendorseanycandidateorpoliticalparty.Weaimtoprovide balancedinformationsoyoucandecidewhotovoteforandprepareto vote.

Read this guide, mark your choice, and take it to the polls.

This Ward 5 Special Election is happening because Councilman James Braswell passed away in March. He was appointed to the City Council in June2024followingTraeWilliams’resignationfromtheCouncil6months afterbeingswornin.

Transform Alabama's executive director contacted each candidate, and invited them to complete a survey. Candidate bios listed on page 9 are basedontheinfotheysubmitted.Twoofthethreecandidatescompleted thecandidatesurvey.

Pg.2providesinformationaboutvotingrightsafterafelonyconviction. Onpg.3,followtheflowchartforstepsyoucantaketopreparetovote. Seepg.7forinformationaboutAlabama’sabsenteevotingsystem. FindinfoabouttheWard5candidatesonpg.9.

Please also keep in mind these very

conviction.

Manyfelonyconvictions(felonydrugconvictions,forexample)DONOT preventyoufromregisteringtovoteinAlabama.

Formostofthefelonyconvictionsthatdisqualifyyoufromvoting,thereis aprocessforrestoringyourvotingrightssoyoucanregister.

Haveyoucompletedyoursentenceincludingprobation,parole, orcommunitysupervision?

Haveyoupaidallfines,fees,orrestitutiononthedisqualifying convictions? Requestafreeconsultationatreturn-my-vote.com

ContactGBMat205-304-0481orgbmvotes@gbm.orgtodetermineyour votingeligibilityandgethelpregisteringorrestoringyourrighttovote.

P r e p a r i n g f o r E l e c t i o n D a y

Y e s

D o y o u h a v e a p r e v i o u s f e l o n y c o n v i c t i o n y o u b e l i e v e d i s q u a l i f i e s y o u ?

Y o u ’ r e e l i g i b l e ! 1 2 3

Y e s

A r e y o u a U S C i t i z e n ?

W i l l y o u

C h e c k y o u r e l i g i b i l i t y t o v o t e !

b e a t l e a s t 1 8 y e a r s o l d o n E l e c t i o n D a y ?

oN oN seY oN

Y o u m a y s t i l l b e e l i g i b l e !

S e e p g . 2 f o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t

v o t i n g a f t e r a f e l o n y c o n v i c t i o n .

R e g a r d l e s s , y o u c a n s t i l l b e i n v o l v e d — s e e S t e p 6 .

Y o u a r e n o t e l i g i b l e .

H o w e v e r , y o u c a n s t i l l b e i n v o l v e d .

S k i p t o S t e p 6 .

R e g i s t e r t o v o t e !

I f y o u h a v e a v a l i d A l a b a m a ’ s D r i v e r ’ s L i c e n s e , o r N o nD r i v e r ’ s L i c e n s e , y o u c a n r e g i s t e r o n l i n e a t s o s . a l a b a m a . g o v .

P a p e r f o r m s a r e a v a i l a b l e a t t h e B o a r d o f R e g i s t r a r ’ s o f f i c e ( c a l l 2 5 6 . 7 6 1 . 2 1 3 2 o r v i s i t t h e m a t t h e T a l l a d e g a C o u n t y C o u r t h o u s e ) . C h e c k y o u r r e g i s t r a t i o n s t a t u s a n d p o l l i n g l o c a t i o n a t m y i n f o . a l a b a m a v o t e s . g o v / v o t e r v i e w . W h i l e y o u ’ r e t h e r e , u s e t h e d r o p d o w n “ D i s t r i c t s ” m e n u t o s e e y o u r v o t i n g d i s t r i c t s ( y o u ’ l l n e e d t h e m i n s t e p

4 ) . M a k e a p l a n f o r h o w y o u w i l l v o t e !

P o l l i n g l o c a t i o n :

D . T o

R e m e m b e r y o u r p h o t o I

v o t e y o u n e e d a v a l i d g o v e r n m e n ti s s u e d I D . T h i s c o u l d b e :

• D r i v e r ’ s l i c e n s e o r n o nd r i v e r I D

V o t e r I D C a r d

• A l a b a m a P h o t o

• U S P a s s p o r t

• G o v e r n m e n t E m p l o y e e I D

M a k e a r r a n g e m e n t s f o r

t r a n s p o r t a t i o n . W i l l y o u :

I f y o u n e e d t o r e q u e s t a f r e e r i d e , r e a c h o u t t o T r a n s f o r m A l a b a m a

T r a n s f o r m A l a b a m a @ g m a i l . c o m .

’ l l v o t e .

D e c i d e w h a t t i m e y o u

( P o l l s a r e o p e n 7 a m t o 7 p m )

L u n c h t i m e E v e n i n g

. M o r n i n g

D f r o m a p u b l i c o r p r i v a t e c o l l e g e o r u n i v e r s i t y i n t h e s t a t e o f

• S t u d e n t o r E m p l o y e e I

A l a b a m a ( o r a s t a t e i n s t i t u t i o n

o f h i g h e r e d i n a n o t h e r s t a t e ) .

• V a l i d M i l i t a r y I D

• V a l i d T r i b a l I D

A l a b a m a

D e c i d e i f y o u w i l l v o t e a b s e n t e e .

Y o u m a y v o t e b y m a i l o r v o t e i n

D a y i f y o u

p e r s o n b e f o r e E l e c t i o n

c e r t a i n c r i t e r i a .

m e e t

U s e t h e b u d d y s y s t e m !

D e c i d e w h a t f r i e n d s o r f a m i l y

m e m b e r s y o u c a n e n c o u r a g e t o

v o t e o r t a k e w i t h y o u t o t h e p o l l s :

P e r s o n 1 :

P e r s o n 2 :

V o t e r I D t h r o u g h t h e B o a r d o f R e g i s t r a r s ( 2 5 6 . 7 6 1 . 2 1 3 2 ) o r t h e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e ( 3 3 4 . 2 4 2 . 7 2 0 0 ) .

Y o u c a n g e t a f r e e

P e r s o n 3 :

S e e p g . 8 f o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n .

D o n ’ t f o r g e t y o u r m a s k !

C o n t i n u e t o S t e p 4 o n t h e n e x t p a g e . . .

C o v i d1 9

Y o u m a y w a n t t o t a k e

p r e c a u t i o n s b y m a i n t a i n i n g

p h y s i c a l d i s t a n c e , w e a r i n g a m a s k , a n d s a n i t i z i n g y o u r h a n d s .

3 , l o o k u p y o u r p o l l i n g s t a t i o n a t

d o s o i n S t e p

d i d n o t

I f y o u

c t s .

m y i n f o . a l a b a m a v o t e s . g o v / v o t e r v i e w a n d m a k e n o t e o f y o u r d i s t r i

S t a t e H o u s e : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

C i t y W a r d : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

T a l l a d e g a

S t a t e S e n a t e : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

S t a t e S c h o o l B o a r d : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

C o u n t y C o m m i s s i o n : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ U . S . S e n a t e : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

L o o k u p t h e W a r d 5 c a n d i d a t e l i s t a t h t t p : / / b i t . l y / 4 l F 5 C w F

b o u t w h a t w i l l

L e a r n m o r e a

a p p e a r o n y o u r b a l l o t .

C h e c k o u t t h e c a n d i d a t e ’ s p l a t f o r m .

L o o k u p t h e c a n d i d a t e ’ s w e b s i t e a n d s o c i a l m e d i a o r r e q u e s t m a t e r i a l s . W h e r e d o t h e y s t a n d o n i s s u e s t h a t a r e i m p o r t a n t t o y o u ? H o w d o d i f f e r e n t c a n d i d a t e s c o m p a r e t o e a c h o t h e r ?

C h e c k o u t t h e i r v o t i n g r e c o r d .

U s e o t h e r r e s o u r c e s t o c o m p a r e c a n d i d a t e ’ s p l a t f o r m s

w i t h t h e i r v o t i n g r e c o r d s .

R e s e a r c h t h e o f f i c e .

U s e t h i s E l e c t i o n G u i d e t o l e a r n a b o u t t h e a m e n d m e n t s a n d

c a n d i d a t e s s t a r t i n g o n p g . 1 0 .

W h a t d o e s t h i s o f f i c e h a v e

c o n t r o l o v e r ?

W h a t i s s u e s a r e i m p o r t a n t t o y o u i n t h e i r a r e a o f i n f l u e n c e ?

D o y o u r o w n r e s e a r c h a b o u t t h e c a n d i d a t e s .

I f t h e c a n d i d a t e h a s h e l d a p r e v i o u s l e g i s l a t i v e o f f i c e , b a l l o t p e d i a . o r g a n d G o v T r a c k . u s a r e g o o d r e s o u r c e s

l e g i s l a t i v e o f f i c e , y o u c a n u s e l e g i s l a t u r e . s t a t e . a l . u s .

t o u s e . I f t h e c a n d i d a t e h e l d a s t a t e

A t t e n d c a n d i d a t e f o r u m s o r t o w n h a l l s .

C a n d i d a t e f o r u m s c a n b e a g r e a t w a y t o g e t t o k n o w y o u r c a n d i d a t e s . C o m e p r e p a r e d w i t h q u e s t i o n s y o u ’ d l i k e t o a s k .

A s k q u e s t i o n s l i k e : H o w h a v e t h e y v o t e d o n r e l a t e d i s s u e s i m p o r t a n t t o m e ?

H o w d o e s t h e i r r e c o r d d i f f e r f r o m t h e i r s t a t e d p l a t f o r m ?

B e w a r e o f f a l s e i n f o r m a t i o n a n d f a l s e p o l i t i c a l a d s !

L o o k i n t o C a m p a i g n F i n a n c e .

I f y o u w a n t t o d i g e v e n d e e p e r a n d l o o k i n t o w h e r e e a c h c a n d i d a t e g e t s t h e i r f u n d i n g , t h a t i n f o r m a t i o n i s r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e o n t h e A l a b a m a E l e c t r o n i c F a i r C a m p a i g n P r a c t i c e s A c t ( F C P A ) R e p o r t i n g S y s t e m w e b s i t e . I n f o r m a t i o n o n c a m p a i g n c o n t r i b u t i o n l i m i t s a r e a l s o a v a i l a b l e . C o n s i d e r t h e n u m b e r , t h e s i z e s , a n d t h e s o u r c e s o f t h e c o n t r i b u t o r s .

A l o t o f w e b s i t e s a i m t o s p r e a d f a l s e i n f o r m a t i o n , a n d p o l i t i c a l a d s d o n ’ t h a v e t o b e t r u e t o b e s h a r e d , s o e x e r c i s e c a u t i o n a n d s k e p t i c i s m . C o n s i d e r w h e t h e r t h e s o u r c e i s r e p u t a b l e a n d s e e w h a t o t h e r n e w s o u t l e t s a r e s a y i n g a b o u t t h e s a m e t o p i c .

D e c i d e h o w y o u w i l l v o t e . Y o u c a n m a r k u p y o u r s a m p l e b a l l o t a n d / o r t h i s g u i d e a n d b r i n g i t w i t h y o u t o v o t e .

C o n t a c t o u r T e a m a t T r a n s f o r m A l a b a m a @ g m a i l . c o m o r 2 5 6 . 3 2 2 . 0 2 6 7 t o s e e h o w y o u c a n p a r t n e r w i t h u s . V o l u n t e e r w i t h T r a n s f o r m A l a b a m a !

Voting Absentee

Peoplewhomeetcertaincriteriacanuseourabsenteesystemtovotebymail orvoteinpersonbeforeElectionDay.ThiselectionhasnospecialCovid-19 provisionsforabsenteevoting.Youmayvoteabsenteeifyou: willnotbeinTalladegaCountyonElectionDay. areilloraphysicaldisabilitykeepsyoufromgoingtothepolls. areanAlabamavoterlivingoutsideofyourcounty,suchasmilitary personnel,someonelivingabroad,oracollegestudent. areanelectionofficerorpollwatcheratapollingplaceawayfromyour own.

workarequiredshiftthatis10ormorehoursduringpollhours. areacaregivertoafamilymemberconfinedtotheirhome. areinprisonorjailanddonothaveadisqualifyingconviction.

Vote Absentee in Person

UntilAugust21,youcandothewholeabsenteeprocessfromapplicationto ballotinpersonattheCityClerk’soffice.

Note: Absentee Election Managers recommend voting absentee in person over doing the process by mail in order to avoid any mail delays and to prevent potential mistakes in your application or ballot.

Vote Absentee by Mail

1.Findanabsenteeballotapplicationonalabamavotes.govORcallCity Clerk(seenextpageforphonenumbers).

2.Fillouttheapplication.Choose“GeneralElection.”Choosethereason thatbestappliestoyou.Makesureyousigntheapplication(nowitness needed).

3.MailtheapplicationandacopyofyoureligiblephotoID(seepg.5)toyour AbsenteeElectionManager.Useoneenvelopeperapplication.

4.Whenyourballotarrives,fillitoutwithablackballpointpen,thensealit intheproperenvelopes.Yourballotcouldtakeaweekormoretoarrive. Sealyourcompletedballotinthesecrecyenvelope,thensealyour secrecyenvelopeintheaffidavitenvelope.

5.Recruitanotaryortwowitnessesandsignandfillouttheaffidavit.This stepisessentialtohavingyourballotcounted.

6.Sealyouraffidavitenvelopeinsidethepre-addressedenvelopeandreturn yourballot.MailitwiththreestampsviaUSPSorviaacommercialcarrier, orhanddelivertotheAbsenteeElectionManager.

Note: if you apply for your absentee ballot but do not turn it in, you still have the right to vote in person. If the poll worker says you are marked as absentee, ask for a provisional ballot.

Ifyouhaveapermanentdisability,youcansubmitaspecialapplicationand receiveabsenteeballotsbymailforallelectionsthatyear.Note:

Theapplicationincludesamandatoryphysician’sreportsection.Itmust besignedbyaphysicianandnotarized.

Youmustapplyforthisdesignationannually.Itisnotpermanent. Stateandmunicipalelectionshaveseparateapplications.Sendthe municipalapplicationtotheCityClerk.Forallotherelections,sendthe generalapplicationtoyourAbsenteeElectionManager.

Youcanselecttheelectionsyouwouldliketoreceiveballotsfor.Besure tospecifyyourpartyfortheprimaryorprimaryrunoffelections.

Emergency Absentee Voting

Inthefivedayspriortotheelection,ifcertaincircumstancesarisethat preventyoufromvotingatyourpollingplace,youcanvote emergency absentee.

YoucanhanddeliveryouremergencyabsenteeapplicationtoyourAbsentee ElectionManagernolaterthanthedaybeforetheelection(August21),if: youarerequiredbyyouremployertoworkonElectionDay(andyou foundoutaboutitwithinthefivedaysbeforetheelection).

youareacaregiverofapersonwhorequiresemergencytreatmentby alicensedphysicianwithinthefivedaysbeforetheelection. yourfamilymemberdieswithinthefivedayspriortotheelection. Relativesmustbefirstorseconddegreeofkinshipbybloodorby marriage(e.g.step-relativesandrelatives-in-law).Thisincludesparents, siblings,spouses,children,grandparents,andgrandchildren.

Foryourownmedicalemergenciesarisingwithinfivedaysoftheelection: Ontheemergencyabsenteeapplicationform,alsocompletethe physician’sreportontheabsenteeapplicationandhavethephysician signitORattachthephysician’sreporttotheabsenteeapplication. IfyouareunabletotaketheapplicationtotheAbsenteeElection Manager’soffice,adesigneecanhanddelivertheapplicationandthe absenteeballot.Completethedesigneesectionontheapplication.

TalladegaCityClerk

Joanna Medlin 255SouthSt.W

Talladega,AL35160

256-362-8186ext.1026

Hours: M-F, 8 am to 5 pm

AfterElectionDay,visitmyinfo.alabamavotes.gov/voterview tocheckthe statusofyourabsenteeorprovisionalballot.

CityCouncilWard5

TheCityofTalladegaoperatesasacouncil-managerformof government.Thefivemembercounciliselectedfromsinglememberwards.Thecitymanagerishiredbythecitycouncil.

Source:AlabamaConstitution,61A TalladegaCountyMunicipalities,LocalProvisions, §61A-2.01.Council-ManagerFormofGovernment.,Amendment738)

VotingLocation:

BemistonRecreationCenter

☐ Shane Denney

Mr.ShaneDenneyisacandidateforCityCouncilWard5.

☐ Martha Jordan

Mrs.MarthaJordanservedintheU.S.Army,andworkedfortheFederal Bureau of Prisons and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). She retiredaswardenofFCITalladegain2005.Mrs.Jordanisagraduateof Baruch College and Norwich University where she earned a Masters of BusinessAdministration.SheservesonthefollowingBoards:Talladega Main Street, Citizen Baptist Medical Center Advisory Board, and the BoysandGirlsClubofEastCentralAlabama.Mrs.JordanistheGreater TalladegaChamberofCommerceandRotaryClubpastpresident.

Mrs. Jordan’s priorities if elected include economic development, physicalrevitalizationofTalladega,promotingactivitiesforchildrenin the city, crime reduction, and supporting cultural activities that bring valuetothecity.Sheiscommittedtomovingthecityforwardthrough advocacy,revitalization,andeconomicdevelopment.

☐ Darius Williams

Dr. Darius Williams was born and raised in Talladega, and is a proud graduateofTalladegaHighSchoolandTalladegaCollege.Heearnedhis Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Samford University. Dr. Williamshasover20yearsexperienceasanadvocateforyouth,serving asateacher,principal,andcollegeprofessorduringhiscareer.Heisthe founder of The Word Center and Reformation Academy K-12. He currently serves on the Talladega Civil Service Board. He has also sponsored summer youth programs, academic assistance programs, andprovidedsupporttofamilieswhereneeded.

Dr. Williams’ priorities if elected include restoring public trust through transparency, increasing community safety, and expanding opportunities for youth and local business. He wants to address the root issues that hinder progress by investing in families, supporting education,andpromotingeconomicdevelopment.

#TransformersUnite

Editor and Lead Organizer: Dr. Adia Winfrey Graphic Design Template: Amanda Cherry

ShoutouttoourTransformAlabamaTalladegaSpecialElectionTeam:

LoisHall,SandraWhite,MichaelWilson,BarryCalhoun,MauriceGray, SapphireChatman,JohnMcClellan,TinaBolden,JuanitaMcClellan, AidanWinfrey,EduardoVidal,DaymionWinfrey,andourTalladega CollegeHBCULeaders

Thank you to the non-profits, businesses, community organizations, churches, and individuals who help distribute our guides! Forprintedguidesforyourcommunity,email TransformAlabama@gmail.com

MISSION

To build a more equitable democracy by mobilizing everyday citizens through producing Hip Hop-based intergenerational community events, collecting oral histories, and creating multimedia content that promotes civic engagement.