MONTGOMERY — The Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee passed legislation on Tuesday requiring party registration to participate in the state's partisan primary elections.
The bill (HB541) by State Rep. Ernie Yarbrough (R-Trinity) wouldn't apply to the 2026 elections, but would go into effect on January 1, 2027, if passed into law. The bill recently passed the House by a 63-35 margin.
Currently, Alabama's primaries are open. However, if one opts to participate in a party's primary, they may participate only in that party's primary runoff.
Yarbrough's bill would require voters to register with a political party to vote the party's ballot in a primary election or a primary runoff. It would impose a 60-day blackout period before a primary election, before which voters could redeclare party affiliation.
The bill will go into effect at the beginning of 2027 and won't affect the 2026 elections.
Yarbrough said at the meeting on Tuesday, "People can register in the first time in '28 by simply going and getting a ballot. The idea that we're going to be turning people away in '28 is simply, I would respectfully say, uninformed in regards to how the bill is actually written."
"We have a responsibility to our children and our grandchildren to enshrine principle in our values and our convictions and our beliefs. It's never untimely to build integrity and strengthen truth in our processes," he added. "The fact that we have a majority actually strengthens the reason why we need this bill because when we have a majority of people voting Republican in this state, I would ask you simply…why? Because those people believe in the platform that the party put forward. When they see the platform, they expect and we have a covenant obligation and duty to reinforce that process to make sure for generations to come we have done our utmost to reflect honesty and truth in our primaries because our primaries are not general elections. Our primaries are for parties to choose their nominees for the general election and the best man or woman wins."
The bill passed along partisan lines, with seven Republicans voting for it and two Democrats voting against. Despite voting for the bill, State Sen. Lance Bell (R-Pell City) said he didn't hear much support for the change in his district.
Bell said during the meeting, "The people that were the voice that flipped our county are the same ones telling me, 'Please don't support this.'"
"I'm from a very conservative county. I think St. Clair County is probably in the top three or four. The people that flipped St. Clair County in the late 80s and early 90s, those people today are still very conservative, wearing the Trump hat (and) huge Trump supporters. Those are the same people calling me, telling me, 'Do not support this bill. We are turning our back on them.' These are the hardcore people in my county," he continued. "I've sat down with them over and over. I've had conversations with party leadership. I spent four years on the steering committee. I think I'm very hardcore Republican, but the people that flipped our county, the people that were involved in that, are the same people telling me, 'Do not support this bill.'"
Since the bill was amended, it still has to pass the Senate, and the House will have to concur with the amended legislation for it to be sent to Governor Kay Ivey's desk to be signed into law. The legislative session is scheduled to end on Thursday.
State Sen. Pro-Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) told reporters on Tuesday afternoon he supports the bill and believes it will be on the Senate floor this week.
“No word yet. There are still mixed reviews whether that’s on the House or Senate floors. We’re just trying to make sure that we’re continuing to move that and progress with that and you’ll be seeing progress with that this week,” Gudger said.
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