The ACLU of Alabama on Wednesday released its priorities for the 2026 Legislative Session.
The organization breaks its priorities into four categories:
- Defending the right to vote
- Fighting for criminal legal reform
- Protecting First Amendment rights
- Ensuring maternal health and reproductive justice
Voting rights has long been a key issue for the organization as Alabama has historically worked to limit voting rights for marginalized groups.
One of the bills already gaining support from the group is House Bill 14 by State Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville, that would create a ballot initiative to let voters directly influence legislation.
The group is also championing legislation to support formerly incarcerated citizens regaining their right to vote, and early voting in the state. Senate Bill 24 by State Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison is already in the works to restore voting rights to individuals who have completed their sentences.
The group rejects barriers to voting that have no proven connection to election security and legislation that limits access to the ballot for voter that are blind, disabled, and unable to read or write.
The ACLU is also targeting Alabama’s prison system, which is under extra scrutiny this session after an HBO documentary revealed deplorable conditions inside the facilities and potential abuse by guards.
The organization is lending its support to House Bill 86 by State Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, that would bring new reforms to the guidelines used by the Alabama Parole Board requiring more reliance on indicators that show an applicant is less likely to reoffend.
The ACLU is also supporting legislation to end the death penalty, while opposing efforts to criminalize constitutionally protected activity and harsher penalties that put more people in prison without addressing the roots of crime.
First Amendment rights are a major focus of the organization this year, particularly as schools and libraries come under attack when it comes to free expression.
The group is prioritizing the fight against legislation that attempts to curtail peaceful assembly to express speech and laws that would chill free expression.
Under the umbrella of reproductive justice, the group supports access to IVF and expansion of contraception access, medical screening and support for mothers experiencing postpartum depression and other challenges, support for midwives and birthing centers to increase access to maternal healthcare, and legislation to support pregnant women caught in the legal system.
It rejects legislation to further restriction abortion access by criminalizing medication abortions or out-of-state travel for abortions.
