House, Senate election-related bills

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I have received many questions about election/voting legislation introduced this session which ends on May 22. Some questions arose because of misinformation being disseminated to either kill good legislation or put terrible legislation in a positive light to get it passed.

There were 469 bills proposed in the House and 321 in the Senate. The listing is 797 pages. There are many House bills and Senate bills related to the same legislation; these are companion bills.

To see all bills introduced go to Alison.legislature.state.al.us; click on “Bills;” click on “Bills-Current Session.” To read the entire text of a bill, click the Bill Number, click “Introduced,” “Engrossed,” “Enrolled,” or the Act Number if the bill passed and was signed by the governor.

Below is a list, synopsis, and status of the introduced bills only related to elections and voting:

HB53: To require any approved electronic vote counting system used in an election to require the use of paper ballots; and to make nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update the existing code language to current style. To State Government Committee.

HB54: To prohibit the use of electronic vote counting systems that are capable of connection to the Internet or cell phone networks or that possess modem technology. To House State Government Committee

HB94: To require each county to provide at least one early voting center to be open during the week immediately preceding election day to allow registered voters to vote prior to election day; to prescribe the hours of operation for each early voting center; and to clarify that this act does not impair or affect the powers and duties of boards of registrars, judges of probate, and other election officials. To House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee

HB95: To authorize absentee voting without an excuse. To House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee

HB96: To eliminate the application requirement and the Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote; to require the Board of Pardons and Paroles to determine whether an individual may have his or her right to vote restored if the individual has lost his or her right to vote by reason of conviction in a state or federal court and has been pardoned or released from incarceration or period of probation or parole; to allow an indigent individual to have his or her right to vote restored if he or she has paid all fines and restitution and is in compliance with an approved payment plan for the payment of court costs and fees or an approved community service plan to offset the payment of court costs and fees; to remove impeachment from the list of offenses that prohibit an individual from having his or her right to vote restored to make consistent with existing law; and to require notification to the individual that his or her right to vote has been restored. To House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee. Hearings were held May 17, 2023.

HB100: To allow a disabled voter to designate an individual to deliver the voter’s application for an absentee ballot to the absentee election manager; to allow a disabled voter to designate an individual to deliver the voter’s absentee ballot to the absentee election manager; and to make nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update the existing code language to current style. To House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee.

HB106: To provide that a county, municipality, or political subdivision of a county or municipality may satisfy a notice requirement by publishing the notice on a website maintained by the state or county or municipal governing body. Read Second Time in House of Origin.

HB316: To authorize a judge of probate to appoint one high school student to work as a precinct election official at each polling place in the county on election day; to provide qualifications for a student to serve as a precinct election official and allow the student to count any absence from school resulting from his or her service as a precinct election official as an excused absence. To House Constitution, Campaigns, and Elections Committee.

HB339: To revise the date of the 2024 second or runoff primary election, and to provide that this as a onetime occurrence. To House Constitution, Campaigns, and Elections Committee.

HB398: To require photo identification to be submitted with the absentee ballot rather than the absentee ballot application; to prohibit the absentee election manager and circuit clerk from extending hours of operation outside of its normal business hours during an election year; to require the absentee election manager to submit a report to the Secretary of State and Attorney General relating to certain absentee ballot requests; to require the absentee election manager to record certain activities relating to each absentee ballot and to post a copy of the list of voters who have requested an absentee ballot each day on the regular bulletin board or other public place in the county courthouse; to require that each absentee ballot have an identifying tracking number; to increase the number of poll watchers; to observe counting of absentee ballots in certain circumstances; and to provide that any absentee ballot received by mail a certain number of calendar days after the election shall be deemed a provisional ballot. To House County and Municipal Government Committee.

HB435: To increase the supplemental compensation paid to election inspectors and clerks; and in connection therewith would have as its purpose or effect the requirement of a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of Section 111.05 of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022. To House Ways and Means General Fund Committee.

HB457: To require the canvassing board of each county to conduct a post-election audit after each county and statewide general election to determine the accuracy of the originally reported results of the election. To House Constitution, Campaigns, and Elections Committee.

SB9: To require any approved electronic vote counting system used in an election to require the use of paper ballots; and to make nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update the existing code language to current style. Enrolled

SB10: To prohibit the use of electronic vote counting systems that are capable of connection to the Internet or cell phone networks or that possess modem technology. Act Number 2023-131; Signed by Governor, 5/9/2023

SB21: To eliminate the application requirement and the Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote; to require the Board of Pardons and Paroles to determine whether an individual may have his or her right to vote restored if the individual has lost his or her right to vote by reason of conviction in a state or federal court and has been pardoned or released from incarceration or period of probation or parole; to allow an indigent individual to have his or her right to vote restored if he or she has paid all fines and restitution and is in compliance with an approved payment plan for the payment of court costs and fees or an approved community service plan to offset the payment of court costs and fees; to remove impeachment from the list of offenses that prohibit an individual from having his or her right to vote restored to make consistent with existing law; and to require notification to the individual that his or her right to vote has been restored. To Senate Judiciary Committee.

SB45: To increase the salary of each board of registrar; to provide that a county may allow any member of the county board of registrars to participate in any health insurance program provided by the county; to further provide for the employment status of members of the boards of registrars and for regular hours of operation for the boards of registrars; and to make nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update the existing code language to current style. To House Ways and Means General Fund Committee.

SB71: To provide alternative virtual or electronic methods for the posting of certain public notices required by law. Engrossed.

SB121: To eliminate the application requirement and the Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote; to require the Board of Pardons and Paroles to determine whether an individual may have his or her right to vote restored if the individual has lost his or her right to vote by reason of conviction in a state or federal court and has been pardoned or released from incarceration or period of probation or parole; to allow an indigent individual to have his or her right to vote restored if he or she has paid all fines and restitution and is in compliance with an approved payment plan for the payment of court costs and fees or an approved community service plan to offset the payment of court costs and fees; to remove impeachment from the list of offenses that prohibit an individual from having his or her right to vote restored to make consistent with existing law; and to require notification to the individual that his or her right to vote has been restored. Read Second Time in House of Origin.

SB246: To further provide for the qualifications and membership of the board of registrars and establish hours of operation; and to provide for eligibility for appointment to the board after removal and for temporary appointments to the board under certain circumstances. Carry Over to the Call of the Chair.

The above information is simply a listing of election- or voting-related legislation introduced in this legislative session. It is provided to inform and in no way reflects my endorsement or opposition to the legislation. I strongly recommend you go to the Alabama Legislature website to review the complete text of the legislation before forming your opinion to oppose or support.

After you review the full text, if you have opinions regarding any legislation listed, call your senator and/or representative to voice those opinions. Enjoy your upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Until next month, stay safe.