MONTGOMERY, Ala. – An Alabama House committee will vote next week on a bill that would limit participation in primary and primary runoff elections to Alabamians registered with a political party.
House Bill 541, introduced last week by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, sets up closed primary elections. Under the bill, Alabamians would choose their political party affiliation when they register to vote. If they don’t want to register with a political party, voters can remain “unaffiliated,” but couldn’t vote in primaries.
Voters could change their chosen political party as many times as they would like between elections, up until 60 days before an election. This “blackout window” exists so the secretary of state can provide the list of registered voters to county probate judges – the chief election officers in Alabama’s 67 counties – within the legally mandated period before an election, Yarbrough said.
Voters would still not be able to change parties between the primary and any related runoff elections, as is the case under current law.
Yarbrough said he introduced the bill to ensure that primaries help to elect the candidate who most reflects a party’s platform and to curb “crossover voting.”
Yabrough defined crossover voting as Democrats choosing to vote in the Republican primary for the candidate they view as weaker in an effort to give a Democrat a better chance of winning the general election.
Yarbrough said he had a spreadsheet about instances of crossover voting but did not immediately make it available to Alabama Daily News upon request.
“The benefit of (closed primaries) is that we have party clarity in our values and who we choose reflects the platform we think we’re voting for,” Yarbrough said. “I think that’s a tremendous, tremendous security in our hearts and minds as voters that we know what we’re going to get.”
Thirteen states – including Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida – have fully closed primary elections.
The House Committee on Ethics and Campaign Finance held a public hearing about the bill on Wednesday morning. Ten people spoke in favor of the bill, and four spoke against it.
Suzelle Josey, a member of the Alabama Republican Party’s Executive Committee, said the bill is a way for Republicans to be done with crossover voting.
“I would say to my fellow Republicans, this is your chance,” Josey said. “This is your chance to be able to be voted in office and not be beholden to Democrats. This is your chance to finally get a pure Republican that wants to vote for our Republican platform without being beholden to Democrats, so let’s take this chance while we have it.”
The state Republican party and its newly-elected chair Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, previously announced the bill as “the party’s top legislative priority this year.”
Stadthagen also spoke in favor of the bill at Wednesday’s public hearing.
Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, and Republican gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., have both expressed support for closing primaries.
Opponents of the bill argued that it would disenfranchise independent or undecided voters and decrease voter participation.
Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, spoke vehemently against the bill during the meeting, saying closing primaries is the “antithesis of what democracy is supposed to be.” He took issue with the fact that a voter who changes their mind about which party they want to register with within 60 days of an election would be unable to switch parties and vote in their chosen primary.
“The bill itself doesn’t actually stop crossover voting, it just changes the timeline,” England said. “So really, this is political rhetoric, and, again, electioneering that creates a solution that does not have a problem.”
Sonny Brasfield, executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, opposed the bill because it would place an additional financial and administrative burden on Alabama’s counties.
“If the parties wish to close their primaries, that’s not our business,” Brasfield said. “We encourage you to make the bill permissive, let the parties make their decision if they want to close the primary and then let the parties administer the primary. Let them defend the primary. Let them pay for the primary.”
If passed, the bill would become effective on Jan. 1, 2027. It would not affect the 2026 primary election on May 19.
Chair Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, said the committee will vote on the bill on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.