SB249 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Sam GivhanSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Elections, voter fraud, election offenses, revising and consolidating election offenses, Secs. 17-1-6, 17-1-7, 17-1-8, 17-9-50.2, 17-9-52, 17-17A-1, 17-17A-2, 17-17A-10, 17-17A-11, 17-17A-12, 17-17A-30, 17-17A-31, 17-17A-40 added; Secs. 17-17-1 to 17-17-56, inclusive, repealed; Secs. 17-1-5, 17-9-50 am'd.

Summary

SB249 overhauls Alabama’s election offenses into a single, consolidated framework, expanding penalties for voter fraud and adding rules governing election officials and political activity.

What This Bill Does

It repeals the existing election-offense chapters and creates Chapter 17A to revise and consolidate offenses for voters and election officials, with updated penalties. It tightens polling-place conduct, strengthens prohibitions on political activity by government employees, and introduces new offenses and penalties related to voting and election administration, including tampering with electronic voting machines. It also imposes a five-year ban on convicted individuals from holding public office or serving as election workers or notaries, and clarifies penalties for various election fraud and obstruction offenses. The act is exempt from local-fund expenditure requirements under Amendment 621/890 because it defines new crimes or amends existing ones, and becomes effective on the first day of the third month after approval.

Who It Affects

• Voters, who would face clearer, consolidated offenses for false statements, ineligible voting, double voting, absentee-ballot issues, and other fraud-related acts, with specified felony or misdemeanor penalties.
• Election officials and election workers (including absentee election managers, sheriffs, boards of registrars, judges of probate, poll workers, and notaries), who face new duties, restrictions, potential penalties, and a five-year ineligibility period after conviction for related offenses.
• Government employees and public bodies (state and local), as they are restricted from using public funds, time, or property for political activities and must follow rules on lobbying, campaign contributions, and political communications; membership organizations that collect dues through payroll deductions are subject to certification and reporting requirements.

Key Provisions

• Repeals Chapter 17 (titles 17-17) and replaces it with Chapter 17A, adding sections 17-1-6, 17-1-7, 17-1-8, 17-9-50.2, 17-9-52 and creating Article 1-4 of Chapter 17A (General Provisions, Offenses by Election Officials, Fraud Offenses by Voter, Obstruction).
• Amends 17-1-5 to allow limited paid time off for voting, prohibit coercion or ballot inspection by employers, and establish a Class B misdemeanor for violations.
• Amends 17-9-50 to prohibit near-polling-place intimidation or discouragement, loitering, or blocking lines, with violations classified as Class B misdemeanor.
• 17-1-6: Prohibits government employees from using public funds, property, or time for political activity; defines political activity; requires political activity to occur on personal time; prohibits coercion of subordinates; Class A misdemeanor for violations.
• 17-1-7: Prohibits salary deductions or payroll contributions for political activities or dues to political organizations; requires certifications and annual expenditure reporting by membership organizations; Examiners of Public Accounts oversight; Class A misdemeanor for violations.
• 17-1-8: Prohibits official misuse of authority to influence voters; Class C felony for violations.
• 17-9-50.2: Inside polling places, prohibits interference with voters or ballots and removal of ballots; Class A misdemeanor for violations.
• 17-9-52: Sets arrest limitations for electors attending or traveling to elections (safety and order only).
• 17A-2 to 17A-40: New offenses by election officials and voters (including false registration or ID, ineligible voting, double voting, absentee-ballot fraud, ballot manipulation, obstruction, and tampering with electronic voting machines), with penalties ranging from Class A to Class D felonies depending on the offense.
• Five-year bans (17-17A-2) on convicted individuals from holding public office, serving as election officials, notaries, poll workers, or witnesses to absentee ballots for offenses listed in subsection (b).
• 17-17A-10 to 17-17A-12 establish specific duties, penalties, and protections for election officials and voting processes, including protections for good-faith actions and detailed prohibitions on miscounts, poll-list handling, and machine tampering.
• Section 7 clarifies the bill is exempt from additional local-fund approval requirements because it defines new crimes or amends existing ones, despite Amendment 621/890.
• Section 8 states the act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after legislative passage and governor approval.

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

Subjects

Elections