Former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill joined NPR All Things Considered to discuss voter registration policies, ease of voting, and more:
MILES PARKS, BYLINE: During his eight years as Alabama’s top voting official, John Merrill says he felt like it was his job as secretary of state to encourage voter registration.
JOHN MERRILL: One of the things I was known for as the secretary was trying to get everybody in the state that was eligible to be registered.
PARKS: Merrill is a Republican. But he quickly found out that in his party, that message was controversial.
MERRILL: I’d say the first six, eight months, maybe as much as a year, I had people – when I would speak to some Republican groups, they’d tell me, I don’t like that. I don’t think that’s a good thing. And I’m like, why would you say that? And they’re like, because you’re going get more Blacks, and you’re going to get more Democrats.