MONTGOMERY — A bill requiring county probate judges to conduct mandatory ballot audits after every county and statewide election has been filed in the Alabama House of Representatives.
House Bill 259 (HB259), sponsored by State Rep. Debbie Wood (R-Valley), would require the probate judge of each county to conduct a post-election audit after every county and statewide general election to determine the accuracy of the originally reported results of the election.
Wood filed similar legislation during last year's session. That version, however, put the auditing onus on the canvassing board. The bill was indefinitely postponed on the House floor.
If passed, the bill would require the probate judge to order a post-election manual audit after every county and statewide general election consisting of a manual tally of all ballots in at least one randomly selected precinct for one randomly selected countywide or statewide race.
Discrepancies will be reported to the Secretary of State. Likewise, if the audit results name a winner other than the person initially certified, the outcome shall constitute grounds for an election contest.
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