MONTGOMERY — Before departing the legislature for the final day of the 2026 legislative session, several House Democrats spoke on what they believed to be the best and worst of the year, all naming the lack of a lottery bill as a stark negative.
Alabama’s Democratic superminority has long pushed for a statewide referendum to allow citizens to vote on a constitutional amendment to approve a statewide lottery.
The last serious attempt at a gambling bill and lottery constitutional amendment died in the Senate in 2024, falling short by one vote after passing the House earlier that year. With statewide candidates coming up for reelection this year, political winds tend to make lawmakers averse to broaching a hot-button topic like gambling at the end of a quadrennium, meaning the 2026 legislative session came to a close on Thursday without lawmakers taking a serious look at the subject.
With several hours remaining as the session wound down on Thursday, Democratic House members spoke to reporters, detailing what they believe are the good and bad of the 2026 legislative session, many bemoaning the lack of movement on a statewide lottery this year and in previous years.
State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham) was first to address the media, giving the session as a whole an “F” rating.
“The public needs to know that we’re at the end of a four-year quadrennium, but there’s been one piece of legislation that has been filed into the state house of Alabama more than any other piece of legislation, and that is to give the people of Alabama the right to vote on a lottery; to vote it up or vote it down,” Givan said. “And every four years, we come back to this place where we say that we are going to allow their voices to be heard.”
She continued, “I think the people of Alabama deserve the right to vote, if it helps assist us with many of the issues we have with regard to our budget. Especially if it’s in our Education Trust Fund budget.”
State Rep. Phillip Ensler (D-Montgomery), who is leaving the House to seek the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor, gave a more gracious “C” rating to the session, likewise stating he wished there was more movement on “pocketbook issues.” He also carried the party line in calling for a lottery bill.
“For years we have been, and I filed a bill this session to have a clean lottery, and proposed using it to send rebate checks to help people pay their bills,” Ensler said. “If there were funds left beyond that, use it to help with rural hospitals and keeping hospitals open. And third, helping with public education, particularly education employees and retirees with their pay.”
State Rep. Marilyn Lands (D-Huntsville), giving the session a “D” grade, also lamented the lack of attention paid to issues she believes matter most to Alabamians.
“There’s so much we could have done,” Lands said. “We could have expanded Medicaid. We could have had a lottery. We could do a lot more for voting rights.”
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