By Brian Lyman | Editor
“Our county party did a great job of engaging the community. I’m hearing a lot of people say that it was a fluke. That because the ticket of change existed, that really helped Madison County. I think that did help, but we have to prove that it wasn’t a fluke.” - Violet Edwards, Madison County commissioner and Democratic state auditor nominee on Democratic gains in Madison county
Big Spring International Park in Huntsville is seen on Oct. 11, 2026. (Ben Sessoms for Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Anna Barrett
Alabama Democrats Tuesday had their long-sought breakthrough in Huntsville, winning three legislative seats in Madison County while taking the sheriff’s office and winning two local judicial races. The party had targeted the state’s fastest-growing city for years due to its friendlier demographics compared to the rest of the state. Democrats and Republicans said the changing demographics of the area create a unique environment in the state.
Michael Shannon Taylor was sentenced to death for the murders of Ivan and Lucille Moore during a robbery of their home in Gadsden. (Alabama Department of Corrections)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
By Ralph Chapoco
The state of Alabama Thursday executed Michael Shannon Taylor, 54, for the murders of Ivan and Lucille Moore during a robbery of their Gadsden home in 1991. Taylor made no final statement and media observers reported no apparent complications in the execution, the third carried out by the state this year.
Campaign signs line the driveway to the entrance of a polling place on Nov. 3, 2026, in Millbrook, Alabama. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Ralph Chapoco
The Alabama Secretary of State’s Office said Thursday that over 70% of ballots cast in Alabama’s elections on Tuesday were straight ticket, a record for the state. Democrats managed to increase their share of straight ticket votes from about 32% in 2022 to 46% on Tuesday. Critics of straight-ticket voting say it allows extremist candidates to be elected, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones called for ending it.
ICYMI
Trump’s gerrymandering push flops as Democrats win redrawn seats | Jonathan Shorman, DC Bureau
Incumbents, Republicans prevail in Alabama's congressional elections | Andrea Tinker, Alabama Reflector
Voters reject most big tax overhauls, with a few notable exceptions | Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline
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