HB263 Alabama 2014 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Chris EnglandRepresentative

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2014

Title

Municipalities, elections under Title 11, procedures relating to death or withdrawal, absentee ballots, voting machines, provisions regarding the voter, Secs. 11-46-25, 11-46-26, 11-46-32, 11-46-33, 11-46-55 am'd.

Summary

HB263 updates municipal election rules to handle candidate death, extend absentee supply deadlines, clarify voting technology, and change how runoffs and ties are decided.

What This Bill Does

If a candidate dies before an election, they are treated as withdrawn and, if only one candidate remains due to withdrawals, that candidate is deemed elected. The deadline for delivering absentee election supplies is extended from 21 to 35 days before an election to align with Title 17 requirements. The law would distinguish voting machines from electronic vote counting systems so municipal use of electronic counting is not bound by the voting-machine rules. For runoff elections, the municipal governing body would have one week from canvassing to decide the winner; if they don’t act in time, the tie is decided by lot no later than 5:00 PM on the first Tuesday after the runoff.

Who It Affects

• Municipal election officials (mayors, clerks, election inspectors) who must implement the death/withdrawal and tie-resolution rules and adjust procedures for absentee supplies and voting technology.
• Candidates and voters in municipalities, since deaths or withdrawals can trigger automatic election, and runoff ties may be resolved by lot instead of by body vote, affecting outcomes.

Key Provisions

• 11-46-25: If a candidate dies before the election, the deceased candidate is deemed withdrawn from the election.
• 11-46-26: If withdrawals (including death) leave only one candidate, that candidate is deemed elected; the mayor must file a certificate and the governing body must adopt a resolution declaring the winner.
• 11-46-32: The deadline to deliver absentee election supplies is changed from 21 days to 35 days prior to the election date.
• 11-46-33: Distinguish voting machines from electronic vote counting systems to clarify which rules apply to each in municipal elections.
• 11-46-55: In a municipal runoff, the governing body has one week from canvassing to decide the winner; if they fail to act, the winner is decided by lot no later than 5:00 PM on the first Tuesday after the runoff.

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

Subjects

Municipalities