On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) voiced his support for closed primaries in Alabama.
Open primaries allow voters to participate in party primaries without being registered members of that party. Closed primaries generally require a voter to be a registered member of a party to vote in the election.
Tuberville, who is running for governor, said on a call with the press that he had spoken with House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) about an upcoming bill by State Rep. Ernie Yarbrough (R-Trininty) to close primaries in the state. The gubernatorial frontrunner declared that something needed to be done about Democrats voting in Republican primaries.
RELATED: State Rep. Ernie Yarbrough to file bill closing Alabama primaries
“There’s a lot of talk about this,” Tuberville said when asked if he supported closing primaries. “And I’ve spoken with Speaker Ledbetter, and we agree that we have to do something about Democrats voting in our elections. They shouldn’t be doing it. I know he’s moving a bill forward, hopefully very, very soon, as we speak, and if we can get that done, I think it’s going to help the cause of the conservative Republicans in the state of Alabama.”
Ledbetter told Yellowhammer News on Thursday, “I am proud to work with Coach Tuberville to begin the process of closing Alabama’s primary elections."
Under existing law, Alabama is an open primary state. There is no state law requiring a voter to register his or her party affiliation when registering to vote. Yarbrough's bill would allow a voter to register a political party affiliation. According to a draft copy, the bill would require a voter to be registered with a political party to vote for that party's ballot in a primary election or a primary runoff election. The bill would prohibit an elector from changing his or her political party affiliation during a blackout period beginning 60 days before a primary election.
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