Hold onto your hats, ChumCity citizens! We've got a spicy election tale brewing in Phenix City. Two local ladies have been cuffed and charged in connection with alleged illegal ballot harvesting tied to some fishy absentee applications for the upcoming municipal elections. The Phenix City Police Department jumped into action after the city clerk's office raised a red flag about multiple funky absentee applications. Turns out, the investigation led detectives straight to evidence of—you guessed it—illegal ballot harvesting! Meet Thalia Jenkins Hardin and Valerie Carter, the women now at the center of this electoral drama. Police say these two confessed they were volunteering for District 3 City Council hopeful Jamar Gayles when these alleged offenses went down. While Phenix City council elections are technically non-partisan, election records seem to indicate both ladies lean left. Hardin, 54, has reportedly voted Democrat since 2018, hitting up those Democratic primaries in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Carter, 53, apparently shares the same voting history, participating in Democratic primaries in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024. After huddling with the Alabama Secretary of State's office and the Russell County District Attorney's office, law enforcement slapped the cuffs on Hardin and Carter. They're each staring down multiple charges related to absentee voting violations. This all comes after Alabama tightened the reins on ballot harvesting with SB1, making it illegal to pay folks to handle absentee ballot applications or ballots. Secretary of State Wes Allen has been crystal clear that this crackdown is all about protecting the absentee process and showing the world that Alabama's dead serious about keeping elections squeaky clean. The investigation into Hardin and Carter's alleged plot is still ongoing, so stay tuned, ChumCity!Phenix City Ballot Brouhaha: Two Women Nabbed!
What Went Down?
The Suspects: Hardin and Carter
Democratic Leanings?
Cracking Down on Ballot Shenanigans
State Takes Election Integrity Seriously
