HB397 Alabama 2021 Session

Updated Feb 22, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Jeremy GrayRepresentative
Democrat
Co-Sponsors: Barbara Bigsby Boyd Napoleon Bracy Prince Chestnut Adline Clarke Merika Coleman Anthony Daniels Barbara Drummond Chris England Berry Forte Juandalynn Givan Dexter Grimsley Laura Hall Rolanda Hollis Ralph Howard Thomas Jackson Sam Jones Kelvin Lawrence Artis McCampbell Thad McClammy TaShina Morris Neil Rafferty Pebblin W. Warren
Session: Regular Session 2021
Title: Election ballots, straight political party ballots prohibited, constitutional amendment ballot measure, contents may not mislead description of, Secs. 17-6-36, 17-6-37. 17-6-38, 17-6-39 repealed; Secs. 17-6-35, 17-6-41, 17-7-21 am'd.
Summary: HB397 would end straight-party voting in Alabama and require ballot descriptions of constitutional amendments to be accurate and non-misleading.
What This Bill Does
The bill eliminates the option to vote a straight political party ticket and repeals the existing statutes that authorized straight-party voting. It requires that every constitutional amendment on the ballot be described in a way that clearly reflects its content and not misrepresent it, with explicit Yes/No choices shown. It also updates rules for electronic voting systems to ensure secrecy, accurate counting, and proper handling of votes for all offices and questions, while removing or limiting features that would enable straight-party voting.

Who It Affects
General voters in Alabama who would no longer be able to cast a single straight-party vote for all offices in one operation.
Election administrators, counties, and municipalities who must implement the new prohibitions, adjust ballot wording for constitutional amendments, and ensure voting equipment complies with the new standards.

Key Provisions
Prohibit straight political party ticket voting on ballots: 'A ballot may not include any feature allowing for straight political party ticket voting.'
Repeal existing straight-party voting statutes: Repeals Sections 17-6-36, 17-6-37, 17-6-38, and 17-6-39.
Ballot descriptions for constitutional amendments: Requires the description of each proposed amendment to clearly indicate its nature and content and not misrepresent it; after each amendment, 'Yes' and 'No' options must be printed with corresponding marking instructions.
Electronic voting system standards: Sets requirements to ensure voting secrecy, allow voters to vote for all eligible offices/questions, correctly tally votes, and reject votes beyond entitlement; systems must be able to count ballots from different parties and produce precinct totals.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Ballots