SB15 Alabama 2012 1st Special Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Scott Beason

Republican

Session

First Special Session 2012

Title

Elections, party registration required in primary elections, Secretary of State maintain voters affiliation on voter registration form

Summary

The bill lowers the number of signatures and electors' names required for political parties and independent candidates to qualify for statewide ballots in Alabama.

What This Bill Does

It reduces the petition thresholds for political parties seeking statewide ballot access to a list of signatures equal to at least three one-and-one-half percent, or five thousand signatures, whichever is less, of the qualified electors who cast ballots for Governor in the last general election, in the relevant jurisdiction. It also changes independent candidate thresholds: statewide petitions must equal or exceed 1.5 percent of the Governor’s last-general-election votes, while independent candidates for local offices must equal or exceed 3 percent. The bill also specifies how those nominees or independents are certified and placed on the ballot, with signatures and certifications handled by the Secretary of State and local probate officials, and ballot printing restricted to qualified candidates.

Who It Affects

• Political parties seeking to place statewide candidates on the ballot, by lowering the required number of signatures to qualify (to the new specified thresholds).
• Independent candidates, both statewide and local, by lowering the petition thresholds needed to appear on the ballot ( statewide: 1.5% of Governor votes; local: 3% of Governor votes).

Key Provisions

• Amends Section 17-6-22 to require political parties seeking statewide ballot access to file a list of signatures totaling at least three one-and-one-half percent, or five thousand signatures, whichever is less, of the qualified electors who voted for Governor in the last general election, in the relevant jurisdiction.
• Amends Section 17-9-3 to allow names to appear on the ballot for: (a)(1) primary-nominated candidates; (a)(2) caucus/assembly-nominated candidates; (a)(3) independent candidates for local offices with petitions equal to or exceeding 3% of Governor votes; and (a)(4) independent candidates for statewide office with petitions equal to or exceeding 1.5% of Governor votes.
• Section 17-9-3(b) requires the Secretary of State to certify qualified nominees or independents and directs the probate judges to prepare the ballot accordingly, with restrictions on printing names for certain contested or cross-nominated primaries.
• Section 2 provides that the act becomes effective immediately after passage and approval by the Governor.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Elections