Title 17 — Title 17

An elector must not be arrested during attendance at elections, or while going to or returning therefrom, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace or for a violation on that day of any of the provisions of the election law. For such breach of the peace the sheriff or th…

Ineligible. Any judge of probate who shall fail to certify to the clerk of the circuit court the fact of the candidacy of the judge of probate, the clerk of the circuit court, or the sheriff, thus rendering them ineligible to serve as members of the appointing board of election m…

Any inspector or clerk appointed by the county appointing board who fails to attend an election without a lawful excuse shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a violation. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any election official or watcher who drinks any intoxicating liquor while any election is being held, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a violation. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any person who suppresses any nomination which has been duly filed pursuant to Section 17-9-3, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C felony. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any person voting at any county or state election who has not registered and taken and subscribed to the registration oath shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class B misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any person who willfully and intentionally signs on the poll list the name of any person other than himself or herself, including any signing by mark, in violation of Section 17-9-11, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C felony. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any election officer or any other person who makes a copy of the signed voter poll list or any memoranda therefrom or list of the persons voting, or discloses the number of such voter’s ballot, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p.…

Voted. Any person who loiters in, around, or about a polling place on election day for the purpose of discouraging qualified electors from entering the voting place, or from voting, or whoever having voted enters or stands in a line or file of voters waiting to vote, shall be gui…

Any inspector, clerk, or other person who discloses how any elector voted shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class A misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any inspector, helper, or assistant who willfully deceives any elector in preparing his or her ballot shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C felony. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any sheriff or deputy who wilfully or corruptly fails to perform any duty imposed by Section 17-9-1 shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C felony, and, upon conviction, the office of such sheriff is thereby vacated. History: (Code 1876, §§281, 4282; Code 1886, §§377, 4181…

Selection Thereof. Any inspector who willfully fails or refuses to advise any elector, entitled thereto, that he or she is entitled to an assistant, or refuses to let the elector select an assistant as required by law, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class A misdemeanor. H…

Remaining in Booth, Etc. Any elector who takes or removes, or attempts to take or remove, any ballot from the polling place before the close of the polls; or any person who interferes with any elector when inside the polling place or when marking the ballot, or unduly influences,…

An official who refuses to allow any poll watcher to exercise his or her rights as a watcher, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Possession of Keys. Any election officer or other person, who shall tamper with, injure, or attempt to injure any electronic voting machine to be used or being used in an election, or who shall willfully misuse any such machine, or who shall prevent or attempt to prevent the corr…

Assistance; Encouraging Voter Participation. (a) Any person who willfully changes an absentee voter’s ballot to the extent that it does not reflect the voter’s true ballot, any person who willfully votes more than once by absentee ballot in the same election, any person who willf…

Any person who shall willfully fail or refuse to perform or discharge any duty required by Chapter 11 shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a violation. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Noncommunicative State. Any person who knowingly and willfully prepares or assists in preparing the absentee ballot of a person who is comatose or who otherwise cannot communicate his or her voting preferences for an absentee ballot shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C …

Except as to provisional absentee ballots that have not been verified by seven days after the election, any election official who fails to count a legal vote cast by absentee ballot shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C felony. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Unauthorized Locations; Liability of Officials. Any polling official who knowingly fails to require proper identification to verify the name of the prospective voter on the list of qualified voters at the polling place in violation of this section, or who knowingly allows a perso…

Any person violating any provision of Section 17-12-12 shall be deemed guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any election official who wilfully and knowingly neglects, fails, or refuses to perform any of the duties prescribed in this title, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdemeanor. No person shall be deemed an election official until the person takes an oath to well an…

Any sheriff or constable who fails to give the notices necessary to be served in cases of contested elections, within the time and in the mode prescribed, if practicable for him or her to do so, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a violation. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §8…

Any judge of probate who fails to give notice of a special election ordered by the Governor, as required by Section 17-15-5, is guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any judge of probate who fails to notify the sheriff and clerk of the circuit court that any special election is ordered by the Governor, as required by Section 17-15-6, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a violation. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

It shall be unlawful for any person to obstruct, intimidate, threaten, or coerce any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of such other person to vote or to vote as he or she may choose, or for the purpose of causing such other person to vote for, or not to …

It shall be unlawful for any person to pay or offer to pay, or for any person to accept such payment, either to vote or withhold his or her vote, or to vote for or against any candidate. Any person who violates this section shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdemean…

Repealed by Act 2013-311, §3, effective August 1, 2013. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

(a) It shall be unlawful for an individual to vote in this state more than once at any election held in this state, or to vote in both this state and another state or territory in the same or equivalent election, or to attempt to vote when he or she has knowledge that he or she i…

Any person who falsely impersonates another and thereby or otherwise fraudulently casts a vote to which he or she is not entitled, or having voted at a municipal election votes a second time at the same election, whether in the same precinct or another, or having once obtained re…

Any person who, by bribery or offering to bribe, or by any other corrupt means, attempts to influence any elector in giving his or her vote, deter the elector from giving the same, or disturb or hinder the elector in the free exercise of the right of suffrage, at any election, sh…

Any person who buys or offers to buy any vote of any qualified elector at any election by the payment of money or the promise to pay the same at any future time, or by the gift of intoxicating liquors or other thing of value, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdeme…

Any person who attempts to use his or her official authority or position for the purpose of influencing the vote or political action of any person shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C felony. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §86.)

Any qualified elector at any election who takes or receives any money or other valuable thing, upon the condition that the same shall be paid at any future time, in exchange for the vote of such elector for any particular candidate, or the promise to vote for any particular candi…

Any candidate for office in any election, upon conviction of bribing or attempting to influence a voter under Section 17-17-38, shall, in addition to the fine, be declared ineligible for the office to which elected for that term. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any person who fraudulently alters or changes the vote of any elector, by which such elector is prevented from voting as intended, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class B misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any person who, on election day, disturbs or prevents, or attempts to prevent, any elector from freely casting a ballot shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class A misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any employer who attempts by coercion, intimidation, threats to discharge, or to lessen the remuneration of an employee, to influence his or her vote in any election, or who requires or demands an examination or inspection by the employer or another of an employee’s ballot, shall…

Any officer or agent of a corporation, or other person with authority to discharge employees, who shall attempt by coercion, intimidation, threats to discharge, or to lessen the remuneration of any employee, to influence his or her vote in any election, or who requires or demands…

Any person who knowingly provides false information in order to vote or register to vote in violation of Act 2003-313 shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class A misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any person who, as a condition for standing for nomination to any office in a primary election, shall assess or cause to be assessed a fee by any committee or other governing body of any political party in this state in excess of that allowed by law shall be guilty, upon convicti…

Any person who assists a voter in preparing his or her ballot to be voted at a primary election, except as authorized under Chapter 13, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any precinct returning officer failing to perform the duties of returning ballots and election supplies to the returning officer of the county shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

(a) No person in the employment of the State of Alabama, a county, a city, a local school board, or any other governmental agency, whether classified or unclassified, shall use any state, county, city, local school board, or other governmental agency funds, property, or time, for…

Regular Session, Effective January 1, 2023. This Is Not in the Current Code Supplement. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) GOVERNMENTAL BODY. Any department, agency, board, commission, or authority of the state or political …

Nominating Candidates or Selecting Delegates to Convention. Any person or persons who shall hold, attend, or participate in the holding of any meeting for the purpose of nominating a candidate or candidates for public office, to be voted for at any general election in Alabama, or…

Any person found drunk or intoxicated about any polling place during any primary election shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a violation. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)

Any person who makes a false or fraudulent return of the result of any primary election, or who falsely or fraudulently changes the votes, ballots, figures, or results of any election shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class A misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88…

Any person who opens any envelope containing the poll list of any voting place, except in case of a contest, shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdemeanor. History: (Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §88.)