SB237 Alabama 2017 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Cam Ward

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2017

Title

Voter registration, convicted felons, moral turpitude defined for purposes of crimes which disqualify persons from voting, Felony Voter Disqualification Act, Sec. 17-3-30.1 added; Secs. 17-4-3, 17-4-4 am'd.

Summary

SB237 creates a defined list of felonies involving moral turpitude that disqualify a person from voting and sets up procedures to purge such voters from registration lists.

What This Bill Does

It creates the Felony Voter Disqualification Act, establishing a comprehensive list of moral turpitude felonies that disqualify voting. It also changes how disqualified voters are purged from voter registration lists, including notice, appeal options, and restoration paths. The bill requires coordination among state and local agencies to implement purge and restoration processes.

Who It Affects

• Voters who are convicted of a disqualifying felony (felonies on the moral turpitude list) would lose the right to vote and could be purged from the voter registration list, with notice and potential rights restoration after meeting certain conditions.
• Election administration entities (county boards of registrars, Board of Pardons and Paroles, Secretary of State, judges of probate, and circuit/district court clerks) responsible for managing voter rolls and implementing purge, notification, documentation sharing, and restoration procedures.

Key Provisions

• Adds Section 17-3-30.1, the Felony Voter Disqualification Act, and defines moral turpitude felonies that disqualify voting.
• Specifies a comprehensive list of disqualifying offenses (including murder, kidnapping, rape, terrorism, burglary, theft, fraud, and other serious crimes); clarifies additions to the list require legislative amendment.
• Requires counties to purge disqualified voters from the statewide registration list and to notify the voter by certified mail; prevents striking a voter while an appeal is pending.
• Authorizes rules and procedures by the Board of Pardons and Paroles and the Secretary of State to implement purge and restoration processes; includes provision for documenting restoration opportunities.
• Amends Sections 17-4-3 and 17-4-4 to require monthly reporting from vital statistics, judges of probate, and circuit/district clerks on deaths, mental incompetence, and convictions on disqualifying offenses; establishes penalties for failure to report; and outlines restoration pathways through the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

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

Subjects

Moral Turpitude