On the evening of May 19, the Alabama legislature adjourned for the year. It did not pass HB 552, which would have eased the independent petition in special elections from 3% to 1% of the last gubernatorial vote. The bill had passed the House 83-6, but it went no further. Because this bill did not pass, the state will continue to argue in the Eleventh Circuit that last year’s U.S. District Court decision, striking down the 3% in special elections, was wrongly decided. The briefs have all been filed. The case is Hall v Merrill, 16-16766.
The only election law bills of importance that passed were: (1) HB 282, which explains which crimes are crimes of “moral turpitude” for purposes of voter registration; and (2) SB 108, which says that if a voter voted in a primary, and there is a runoff for that same office afterwards for any party, then the voter who had voted in the first primary can’t vote in the runoff unless he or she chooses the same party’s ballot.
Other election law bills that failed included many bills to allow for early voting.