HB638 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Arnold MooneyRepresentative

Republican

Co-Sponsor

Jamie Kiel

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Absentee voting, requiring photo ID with absentee ballot, prohibiting absentee election manager and circuit clerk from extending operating hours, requiring absentee election manager to submit report, Secs. 17-9-30, 17-11-2, 17-11-4, 17-11-5, 17-11-10, 17-11-11, 17-11-18 am'd.

Summary

HB638 overhauls absentee voting in Alabama by requiring photo ID with the absentee ballot, adding tracking and reporting requirements, and changing counting and oversight rules.

What This Bill Does

It requires photo identification to be submitted with the absentee ballot itself, not just with the absentee ballot application. It bars absentee election managers and circuit clerks from extending their hours beyond normal business hours during an election year. It requires the absentee election manager to report certain voter requests to the Secretary of State and Attorney General, to record key details for each absentee ballot (such as the voter's name, voting place, and dates) and to post a daily list of voters who have requested an absentee ballot in the county courthouse. It adds a tracking number to every absentee ballot, allows officials to begin counting earlier on election day when a threshold number of absentee ballots have been received, increases the number of poll watchers as ballots accumulate, and designates some late-arriving ballots as provisional ballots.

Who It Affects

• Absentee voters: must include photo ID with their absentee ballot, will have their absentee requests and ballots tracked and publicly posted, and may have some ballots counted earlier or deemed provisional based on timing.
• Absentee election managers and circuit clerks: face new duties, including reporting requirements, detailed record-keeping, posting of daily voter-request lists, and restrictions on extending office hours plus oversight provisions.

Key Provisions

• Photo identification must be submitted with the absentee ballot rather than the absentee ballot application.
• Absentee election managers and circuit clerks may not extend their hours of operation outside normal business hours during an election year.
• The absentee election manager must report to the Secretary of State and Attorney General listing voters who requested ballots mailed to addresses with many requests and voters who requested ballots in a county different from where they are registered.
• The absentee election manager must record the applicant's name, voting place, dates of application receipt, ballot sending, and ballot return on a list of absentee voters and post a daily copy of the list of voters who have requested an absentee ballot at the county courthouse.
• Each absentee ballot shall have an identifying tracking number.
• Election officials may begin counting and returning absentee ballots earlier on election day when a certain number of absentee ballots have been received.
• The number of poll watchers may be increased when a certain amount of absentee ballots have been received.
• Any absentee ballot postmarked before election day and received after the election may be deemed a provisional ballot.
• For military and overseas voters under UOCAVA, federal rules apply, and the act preserves related provisions for how those ballots are handled.

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

Subjects

Absentee Voting