Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, stands on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Jan. 20, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday approved a bill to require Alabama voters to choose a political party in order to vote in the state's primary elections starting in 2027. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
An Alabama Senate Committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would require voters to register with a party to vote in its primaries, putting it in position for a final vote in the last days of legislative session.
HB 541, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, would require existing voters to register with a party to participate in primary elections after Jan. 1, 2027. Voters who wish to switch parties would have to change their affiliation within 60 days of the election.
The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee approved the legislation 7-2 with an amendment after a public hearing Tuesday morning.
Currently, Alabama does not have party registration, and voters can cast a ballot in any primary. However, a voter can only participate in the runoff election for the primary they cast a ballot. The open primaries reflect a state political system that has been dominated by one party or the other for most of the state’s history, with primaries often mattering more than general elections.
The Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) in March called for state primaries to be closed, passing a resolution that said the “integrity, credibility, and legitimacy” of the Republican nominating process depended on candidates selected “solely by voters who have affirmatively affiliated with and support the principles and platform of the Republican Party.”
Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, said during the hearing that primary elections are for political parties to choose candidates.
“If you are independent at that particular time, you’re going to have to make that decision of which party you align with. The primary election is for the parties to pick their candidates for the general elections,” Stadthagen said. “It is not for independent voters. If you don’t have a party, a party team, then you shouldn’t be voting.”
According to a recent Gallup poll, 45% of Americans identified as independent. Identification with the Democratic and Republican parties was even, at 27% each.
Iva Hendon, a member of the ALGOP executive committee, said she got involved in the party because she was concerned about Republican candidates not holding the party’s values. She did not name the candidates, but said she was disappointed in House members that did not vote for the bill.
“What I don’t understand is why a true Republican candidate would vote to keep our primaries open and allow for that vulnerability to manipulation,” Hendon said. “If it is because they do covertly represent the values of opposing party members, and they need those crossover votes to win their race as a Republican, then shame on them. They should not be running as a Republican.”
Republican Reps. Russell Bedsole of Alabaster; Terri Collins of Decatur; Brett Easterbrook of Fruitdale; Bob Fincher of Woodland; Phillip Rigsby of Huntsville and Tim Wadsworth of Arley voted against the bill, joining all Democrats on March 19. Republicans Joe Lovvorn of Auburn; Rex Reynolds of Huntsville; Jeff Sorrells of Hartford and Andy Whitt of Harvest abstained from voting.
Republicans during debate on the House floor cited concerns of independent constituents.
“I feel like those independent voters most of the time don’t want to be affiliated or go on record to say which party they’re going to vote for,” Rigsby said during the House debate. “They want the ability to go to the polls and pick the ballot and the person that they would like to vote for.”
Sen. Lance Bell, R-Pell City, said during the meeting that he has only gotten one call from a constituent in support of the bill in contrast to many asking him to not vote for it.
“I think I’m very hardcore Republican, but the people that flipped our county, the people that were involved in that are the same people telling me do not support this bill,” Bell said. However, Bell voted for the bill.
Kim Bailey, president of the League of Women Voters, said the legislation would discourage many Alabamians from voting.
“This is not just a procedural change, it is a barrier to participation. Alabama is ranked as one of the most restrictive states in the country when it comes to voting access. Adding a requirement to declare a party affiliation creates another hurdle,” Bailey said.
In a recent special election in House District 13, no Democrats ran for the seat so the primary election decided the district’s representative.
According to data from the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, only 21% of registered voters cast a ballot in the 2024 primary election, among the lowest in the nation. According to a recent Unite America study, a nonpartisan venture fund, 7% of voting age Americans elected 87% of Congress in 2024.
Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, said after the public hearing that there is no need to change the rules because Republicans are winning with the current system.
“I hope y’all pass it, actually. I hope you do because what it does is it’s gonna hurt you all more than it’s going to hurt us,” Coleman said. “For the 308,000 people that the Republican chair said he didn’t want you all to vote, we welcome you all in November to vote for Democrats.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Alabama is one of 15 states that does not currently require voters to declare a party affiliation when registering to vote. There are nine states with partially closed primaries and eight with closed primaries.
Jerome Dees, policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said during the hearing that supporters of the bill have a starkly different view of democracy than those against it.
“What you have heard is, from both sides, a very stark and opposing view of what democracy should be in Alabama: whether government should be in charge of electing its leaders, or whether that choice should ultimately reside with the people,” Dees said. “By shifting to a closed primary system and creating that extra barrier, you’re going to see even more drastically reduced turnout.”
An amendment brought by Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, removed a section making it the responsibility of absentee ballot managers to register absentee voters’ with parties.
The amendment passed 8-1.
There are a maximum of two days remaining in the 2026 legislative session. The bill could come to a vote on the Senate floor on Wednesday or Thursday. Yarbrough said in an interview after the meeting that he does not know if the Senate will take the bill up for a vote.
“A man always does his priorities. You know that it was because he did it or he didn’t do it, so we’ll see what the priorities are,” Yarbrough said. “ I’ve done all that I can, I think, and now you just trust God for the results. At the end of the day, we hope for the best for our state.”
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Author: Anna Barrett