HB59 Alabama 2014 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: John Merrill
Republican
Co-Sponsors: Artis McCampbell Chris England Becky Nordgren
Session: Regular Session 2014
Title: Elections, secretary of state to provide free computerized statewide voter registration list to other state chief election officials upon request Sec. 17-4-38 am'd.
Summary: HB59 would let Alabama share its statewide voter registration list with other states’ chief election officials for free, under a reciprocal arrangement.
What This Bill Does
The bill amends Section 17-4-38 to require the Secretary of State to provide an electronic copy of the statewide voter registration list to the chief election official of another state at no charge, no more than once per year, for any lawful purpose, if that state agrees to reciprocate by sending Alabama a copy of its list at no charge. It preserves existing free access for Alabama legislators (up to two free printed copies per district per legislative quadrennium) and for the Administrative Office of Courts (one electronic copy per year for master jury list or other lawful use). It continues to prohibit the resale of list material, keeps SSNs from being released, and allows the Secretary of State to enter into exchange agreements with other states. The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after passage.

Who It Affects
Chief election officials of other states: would be eligible to receive a free electronic copy of Alabama's statewide voter list once per year, provided they reciprocate by sending Alabama a free copy of their statewide list upon request.
Alabama Secretary of State: must provide the free electronic copy to other states’ chief election officials and manage transmissions and reciprocity requirements; maintains generic fee rules for other uses unless otherwise provided in this act.
Administrative Office of Courts (Alabama): continues to receive a free electronic copy no more than once per year for purposes like creating a master jury list.
Alabama legislators: continue to receive up to two free printed copies of voter lists for their districts during a legislative quadrennium.

Key Provisions
The Secretary of State must provide an electronic statewide voter registration list to the chief election official of any other state free of charge, no more than once per year, for any lawful purpose, if the requesting state agrees to reciprocate by providing Alabama’s chief elections official with a free copy when requested.
Reciprocity requirement: Alabama must receive a copy of the other state's statewide voter list at no charge when requested by the Secretary of State, to be used for any lawful purpose.
Resale prohibition: resale of any portion of the voter list by the Administrative Office of Courts or the other state's chief elections officer remains strictly prohibited.
Access and costs: general access to the lists remains subject to existing rules, including no release of Social Security numbers and posted cost schedules for non-covered uses; the act mainly provides the reciprocal, free exchange for other states.

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