Why Alabama elections look like football tailgates stirring debate over 30-foot buffer zone
Pop-up tents were filled with folks who sipped sweet tea and chatted with neighbors. Grills sizzled with hot dogs and hamburgers as music thumped from nearby speakers. Cheerful supporters waved signs, greeting drivers who honked in approval.
It looked and felt like a tailgate outside Bryant-Denny Stadium on a fall Saturday. But it was a Tuesday in August, and the event wasn’t a football game.
Across Alabama, parking lots outside city halls, churches, and community centers were transformed into festive gathering spots as voters showed up to cast ballots in municipal races. And with the party-like atmosphere came a renewed debate: Should it be allowed so close to the polls?
“I thought it was kind of weird there were so many spots taken up by these tents,” said Trip O’Neal, after voting at Spanish Fort City Hall. “I found a spot. It wasn’t an issue.”
https://www.al.com/news/2025/08/why-alabama-elections-look-like-football-tailgates-stirring-debate-over-30-foot-buffer-zone.html?outputType=amp