HB516 Alabama 2013 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Ron Johnson
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2013
Title: Absentee voting, change election deadlines to comply with Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, Secs. 17-6-21, 17-9-3, 17-11-5, 17-11-12, 17-13-5, 17-13-18, 17-13-22, 17-13-23, 17-13-81, 17-13-82, 17-13-85 am'd.
Summary: HB516 updates Alabama's absentee voting and candidate nomination rules to align with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).
What This Bill Does
It revises when nominations are finalized and how withdrawals are handled to fit federal timing; it updates ballot printing, nomination certification, and runoff/second primary procedures; it strengthens absentee voting for military and overseas voters by incorporating federal forms, self-identification options, and cross-election validity; and it updates lists, delivery timelines, and contest/vacancy procedures to improve administration and compliance.

Who It Affects
Absentee voters, including military and overseas voters, who would see updated deadlines, ballot access rules, and list/identification procedures.
Candidates and political parties, who must meet revised filing, certification, withdrawal, and runoff timelines.
County and state election officials (judge of probate, absentee election manager, boards of registrars, circuit clerks, Secretary of State) who gain new duties around ballot printing, lists, delivery, and reporting.
Municipal election administrators and the general public, who are affected by timing changes for municipal ballots and related procedures.

Key Provisions
Align candidate nomination and withdrawal deadlines with the 76 days-before-election timeline and specify consequences if withdrawals occur after deadlines (ballots may still print but votes may not be certified).
Adopt federal UOCAVA processes for military and overseas voters, including use of standardized federal registration and ballot forms, ability to identify voters as military/overseas, and extended validity of certain applications across multiple federal elections; require verification of addresses by designated dates and reporting of ballot data to the Federal Election Assistance Commission.
Update absentee voting logistics and list management, requiring timely mailings of ballots, daily updating and posting of absentee applications, and labeling absentee voters on official lists; enable electronic access to voter lists and require delivery of lists to election staff and boards.
Introduce or modify second primary/runoff procedures and related certification timelines, and formalize contest and vacancy processes with defined timelines and appeal mechanisms to ensure nominees appear on ballots.

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