SB208 Alabama 2018 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Jim McClendon

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2018

Title

Elections, special elections to fill vacant state legislative seat, provided for, abbreviated process

Summary

SB 208 creates a unified special-election process to fill a vacant Alabama state legislative seat, placing all legally qualified candidates on one ballot and declaring the winner as the candidate with the most votes.

What This Bill Does

If enacted, the Governor must call a special election within 62 days of a vacancy. Both party-affiliated and independent candidates would be eligible to run and appear on the same ballot. The candidate with the most votes would be declared the winner, and the Secretary of State would adopt rules to implement the process. The act would take effect January 1, 2019.

Who It Affects

• Voters in a district with a vacancy would participate in a single, unified special election to fill the seat.
• Party-affiliated candidates would file declarations with their state party chairs and be certified to appear on the ballot by the party chair.
• Independent candidates would file a petition with the Secretary of State containing signers equal to at least 2% of the district's qualified electors who voted in the last Governor election.
• The Secretary of State would certify candidate names to county officials and print the official ballot; the Governor would schedule the election; the Secretary of State would adopt implementing rules.

Key Provisions

• All candidates who legally qualify to run (party and independent) appear on the same ballot for the special election.
• The winner is the candidate who receives the most votes cast in the special election.
• The Governor must call a special election no later than 62 days after a vacancy occurs.
• Party candidates must file declarations with the state party chair by 5:00 p.m. 52 days before the election; the party chair must certify candidate names to the Secretary of State by 5:00 p.m. 47 days before the election.
• Independent candidates must file a petition with the Secretary of State by 5:00 p.m. 47 days before the election, with signatures equal to at least 2% of the district's qualified electors who voted for Governor in the last general election.
• The Secretary of State must certify the qualified candidates to the county probate judges at least 40 days before the election and print the official ballot listing all qualified candidates.
• The Secretary of State may adopt rules to implement the section.
• The act is intended to apply in pari materia with Title 17, and any inconsistent portions of Title 17 are superseded by this section; the act becomes effective January 1, 2019.

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