Jefferson County Commission to look for other absentee voting space after alleged voter suppression

 1585639330 
1657718635
Karen Dunn Burks hugs Jimmie Stephens

Bessemer Absentee Voting Clerk Karen Dunn Burks hugged Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens during a meeting on Tuesday, July 13, 2022.

Solomon Crenshaw, Jr., Birmingham Watch

Bessemer Absentee Voting Clerk Karen Dunn Burks had a hug for every member of the Jefferson County Commission present after the panel settled on a resolution to a contentious disagreement over where absentee voting will take place in Bessemer.

During its meeting Tuesday at the Bessemer Justice Center, commissioners moved to Thursday’s meeting agenda a plan for absentee voting to continue in the ceremonial courtroom in the basement of the justice center while the offices of the county manager and general services explore the possibility of moving the office to the second floor.

Burks last week accused Jefferson County government of voter suppression because of plans to move her office from the courtroom basement to another office also in the basement. She contended the plan created unfair conditions and accommodations for voters and was inhumane.

“I feel very hopeful. I feel very good,” Burks said after Tuesday’s meeting. “I was very joyous to hear the commissioners all say that they wanted the best for the Bessemer Division and for the voters. Where we currently are, they acknowledged that it was not the best flow turn.

“The decisions that were made here and to have the county manager (Cal Markert) go up and to look at (the second floor), it’s definitely steps toward the right direction,” she continued. “I’m grateful for the fact that I felt that everybody here wanted the best for the citizens. That’s all I wanted. I wanted them to know and look at the room. I think today was the first time they really had a chance to look and to acknowledge there were some things that were not quite right.”

During the discussion, Commissioner Joe Knight acknowledged having gone into the basement room that was to be built out for absentee voting. He cited a hum in the room from heating and cooling units that serve the entire building.

“They’re willing to look at alternatives on the second floor and I’m just so grateful for that,” Burks said. “I’m appreciative of what Commissioner (Lashunda) Scales said and Commissioner (Sheila) Tyson. And also, definitely, what the president (Jimmie Stephens) stated and how he felt. I was appreciative … for his willingness to help.”

The commission president said the location of absentee voting in Bessemer had “too much controversy around for something that should be very simple.”

“I think this commission needs to have our county manager research that second floor courtroom. If it is feasible to be able to utilize that, I think that is the space that everyone has decided upon. In the meantime, we have time to work through that,” he said. “Let’s give the county manager and his staff and general services a chance to see what they can do.”

Stephens, the District 3 commissioner whose area includes the Bessemer Cutoff, had been the target of verbal blasts from Burks. But following the committee meeting, Stephens said those claims were simply rhetoric. He added that he had not been involved in the matter.

“Sometimes you’re given credit for things you have no knowledge of. That was the case on my point,” he said. “I think that now that it is clarified and I think the proper decisions were made, I think that while we build out a place that does not disenfranchise any voters, I think we’re in good shape.

“I’m glad to come to that understanding,” the commission president said. “It’s much better when you talk to people instead of at people. I think that we finally talked to each other today.”

In another matter, Knight said some of the budget items for staff development were “eyebrow-raising.” He acknowledged later that departments had the money for those items in their budgets.

“They were large amounts but I guess it’s getting close to the end of the budget (year),” he said. “If you budgeted and it’s in your budget, I don’t have a problem with it. They talked to me about these large amounts. It’s not a conference. It’s actually a training … an extensive, comprehensive course.

“That’s my job, holding them to the budget.”

 

An inside look at an AP African American Studies class

As Southern political leaders continue to take aim at critical race theory in education, students at Baton Rouge Magnet High call the AP pilot class empowering.

Volunteers are driving in to offer hot meals, necessities to Mississippi tornado survivors

The gym of a Rolling Fork school has become a makeshift hub to get much-needed emergency aid, meals and hope for thousands affected by the tornadoes.

UAB tops Utah Valley, sets up Conference USA showdown in NIT

UAB beat Utah Valley 88-86 in overtime to set up an all-Conference USA final in the NIT. UAB will face North Texas for the fourth time this season on Thursday for the NIT championship.

As midwifery evolves, this Mississippi museum is preserving the history of granny midwives

Granny midwives were some of the first to universalize the practice of midwifery in the South. A permanent installation hopes to share their history.

In Rolling Fork, a congregation comes together to save a century-old church

After a deadly EF-4 tornado, a Mississippi town finds hope in the hands of volunteers.

‘We’re going to help them’: How Mississippians are banding together after a devastating tornado

Officials, aid organizations and volunteers sprung into action on Saturday to help Mississippi begin rebuilding in the aftermath of a powerful tornado.

More Front Page Coverage