HB282 Alabama 2013 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Charles O. Newton

Republican

Co-Sponsor

David Standridge

Session

Regular Session 2013

Title

Elections, write-in candidates, procedure for counting write-in votes, Sec. 17-6-28 am'd.

Summary

HB282 changes how Alabama counts write-in votes by setting up centralized county counting and new rules for when write-ins are counted.

What This Bill Does

Write-in votes would be allowed only in non-municipal general elections and must be properly registered by writing the candidate's name and marking the space for the office to count. The counting would be done at a central county location designated by the judge of probate, and ballots would be returned on election night. The canvassing board (or the Secretary of State for multi-county elections) would decide whether write-ins could affect the outcome; if they cannot affect the outcome, the write-ins would not be counted except as provided in subdivision (4). If counted, all write-ins for an office must be counted by noon on the Tuesday seven days after the election, and a qualified elector may request counting within two business days and must pay the actual costs of counting.

Who It Affects

• Voters who cast write-in votes: must follow new rules (write the name and mark the space) and may request counting within two business days by paying the actual costs.
• County election staff and poll workers: responsible for centralized counting of write-in ballots and checking for over-votes.
• Canvassing boards and the judge of probate: decide for each office whether write-ins could affect the outcome and authorize counting accordingly.
• Secretary of State: handles counting determinations for elections involving voters from more than one county.

Key Provisions

• Write-in votes are allowed only in non-municipal general elections; voters must write the candidate's name and mark the space for the office to have a valid write-in.
• All write-in ballots are sent to a central county location on election night, as designated by the judge of probate.
• If the canvassing board or Secretary of State determines write-ins can't affect the outcome, they are not counted except as provided in subdivision (4).
• For multi-county elections, the judge of probate forwards write-in counts to the Secretary of State, who decides whether they can affect the outcome.
• If write-ins are to be counted, they must be counted by noon on the Tuesday seven days after the election, and related compensation is a reimbursable expense.
• Qualified electors may request counting of write-ins within two business days, and they must pay the actual costs of counting.
• The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after passage and approval.

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