HB451 Alabama 2015 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Mike Hill
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2015
Title: Elections, write-in candidate to file request with Secretary of State, required, Sec. 17-6-28 am'd.
Summary: HB451 would require write-in candidates for county, state, or federal offices to register and follow ethics rules, and would only count write-in votes for properly registered candidates in non-municipal general elections.
What This Bill Does
It requires anyone who wants to be a write-in candidate to file a written request with the Secretary of State or the judge of probate at least 60 days before the election. The candidate must comply with the Fair Campaign Practices Act and the State Ethics Law for votes to be counted. Poll officials would count a write-in vote only if the candidate is properly registered, and ballots must be designed to allow a write-in vote in the proper space. The Secretary of State would issue rules to implement these procedures, including notifying officials and potentially posting write-in candidate names at polling places.

Who It Affects
Write-in candidates for county, state, or federal offices — must register 60 days before the election and comply with ethics laws for votes to count.
Voters, poll workers, judges of probate, and election officials — write-in votes will be counted only for properly registered candidates, with rules and procedures established to ensure proper counting and notification.

Key Provisions
Write-in votes are permitted only in non-municipal general elections and shall be counted only if the write-in candidate is properly registered.
A write-in candidate must file a written request with the Secretary of State or judge of probate at least 60 days before the election and become an official write-in candidate.
Write-in candidates must comply with the Fair Campaign Practices Act and the State Ethics Law for votes to be counted.
Ballots must be constructed to allow a write-in vote, requiring the voter to write the name on the ballot and mark the space for that office; missteps can invalidate the write-in vote.
If a properly registered write-in causes an over-vote, it is treated as an over-vote and none of the votes for that office are counted, though the rest of the ballot may be counted.
The Secretary of State shall promulgate rules to develop the registration process and notify judges of probate and election officials; rules may require posting the official names of write-in candidates at polling places.
The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month following its 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