By a vote of 95-87, Patricia Todd’s election to the Alabama legislature was restored on Saturday, officially making her the first openly gay official ever elected in that state. Todd will represent a largely black district and the vote for her reinstatement was mostly split down racial lines. According to the Birmingham News, eight black members of the committee voted to give Todd the nomination, with one black member, Montgomery Rep. Alvin Holmes, speaking out for her during a heated debate:
“Selective prosecution has been done to black people in Alabama more than any other person in this state. Unless someone can show the 59 votes Todd received were illegal votes, there’s no way you can deny her the seat.”
Todd’s election came into question after a Democratic panel after Joe Reed, a power broker within the Democratic party, unhappy that a white candidate had won in a black district, tried to overturn Todd’s election by using a campaign finance report bylaw that hadn’t been used in 18 years.
Before the vote, which took place as uniformed police officers stood by, Todd’s lawyer Bobby Segall warned the members of the panel: “You’re the judges today, but I promise you, you’re being judged. You’re going to be judged by history, you’re going to be judged by the continued health of this party and most importantly, you’re going to be judged by your own conscience.”
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