Alabama has always had open primaries. Alabama voter registration forms have never asked voters to choose a party. On April 4, three Republican State Senators introduced SB 405, which would provide that the voter registration form should ask voters if they wish to join any particular party. The Senators are Scott Beason of Gardendale, Phil Williams of Gadsden, and Rusty Glover of Semmes.

The bill says that primaries will then be closed; only registered party members will be allowed to vote in any particular primary. The authors seem not to be aware that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1986 that the decision on whether independent voters should be allowed to vote in a partisan primary is a decision for the party, not for state government. The bill is very short and omits any details about whether voters will be allowed to register into an unqualified party. The bill also contains no detail as to how the transition from no registration by party, to registration by party, would occur. When other states have instituted registration by party, the law authorizing this always contained rules for the transition period.

As far as is known, this is the first bill ever introduced in Alabama to establish registration by party. Thanks to Joshua Cassity for the news.