SB230 Alabama 2011 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Linda Coleman-MadisonSenator

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2011

Title

Elections, write-in candidates, registration with judge of probate or Secretary of State prior to election required, compliance with Fair Campaign Practices Act and State Ethics Law required, Sec. 17-6-28 am'd.

Summary

SB230 would require write-in votes to be registered and counted only if the voter writes the candidate’s name and marks the designated space, and would require write-in candidates to register and follow ethics laws; write-ins would be limited to non-municipal general elections.

What This Bill Does

It changes how write-in votes are counted: a voter must write the candidate’s name on the ballot and mark the space for that office for the vote to count. Write-in candidates must register with the Secretary of State or judge of probate as official write-in candidates within 90 days before the election and must comply with the Fair Campaign Practices Act and the State Ethics Law. The law also ensures ballots are designed to allow write-ins for each office like regular candidates, and explains how over-votes and incomplete registrations affect the final tally.

Who It Affects

• Voters would need to follow the new process (write the name and mark the designated space) for a write-in vote to count.
• Write-in candidates would need to register as official write-in candidates with the Secretary of State or judge of probate within 90 days before the election and comply with campaign finance and ethics laws.
• Election officials and poll workers would apply these rules when counting votes, including checking for over-votes and ensuring proper ballot design.

Key Provisions

• Write-in votes are permitted only in non-municipal general elections.
• A write-in candidate must register with the Secretary of State or the judge of probate within 90 days before the election as an official write-in candidate and must comply with the Fair Campaign Practices Act and the State Ethics Law.
• Ballots must be constructed so voters can mark a write-in vote for each office in the same way as regular candidates.
• To cast a valid write-in vote, the voter must write the name on the ballot and register the vote by marking the space for that office.
• A write-in vote will not be counted if the write-in vote is not properly registered; if a voter registers a vote for a name on the ballot but writes in another name for the same office without registering, the ballot is treated as if no write-in occurred.
• If a properly registered write-in causes an over-vote, the over-voted office's votes are not counted, but the remainder of the ballot is counted.
• Poll officials must check for over-votes when counting write-ins if the electronic ballot counter does not perform this function.
• The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after it is passed and approved.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Elections