Title 17

Inspectors of elections in the voting places shall, immediately on the closing of the polls, count the votes polled, and no votes shall be counted until the polls are closed. (Code 1876, §285; Code 1886, §381; Code 1896, §1637; Code 1907, §413; Code 1923, §503; Code 1940, T. 17, …

When no federal elections are on the ballot, the sheriff shall keep the ballots six months in the voted ballot box, without opening or unsealing the voted ballot box, and thereafter destroy the ballots unless within six months the sheriff having them in custody is notified that t…

As soon as the ballots are counted, the inspectors shall ascertain the number of votes received for each person and for what office and shall make a statement of the same in writing, which statement shall be signed by them. They shall also certify in writing on both the clerk’s p…

The canvassing board must, as soon as they have ascertained the result of an election, make on forms furnished by the Secretary of State certificates stating the exact number of votes cast in the county by voting place for each person voted for and the office for which such perso…

A primary election, including a separate and special presidential preference primary election, within the meaning of this chapter, is an election held by the qualified voters who are members of any political party, for the purpose of nominating a candidate or candidates for publi…

The ballot of every voter shall be kept secret and inviolate. (Acts 1975, No. 1196, p. 2349, §23; §17-16-25; amended and renumbered by Act 2006-570, p. 1331, §59.)

A candidate who has qualified may have a single watcher in the polling place, to be appointed in writing over his or her own signature, and the appointment shall be presented to and filed with the inspectors. Subsections (b), (c), and (d) of Section 17-8-7 apply to watchers appoi…

The inspector shall perform the duty of precinct returning officer as in general elections, unless someone else has been named and designated as authorized by law. It shall be the duty of the inspector or the duty of such returning officer as may be otherwise legally named and de…

(a) At the close of the primary election at each voting place, and nowhere else, the inspectors and clerks shall proceed forthwith, without adjournment, in the manner provided by law in the case of general elections, to count the votes. This section shall not apply to provisional…

(a) No ballot shall be counted until the polls are closed; and, before counting any ballot or examining the same, the voters’ poll list, as provided in Section 17-9-15, shall be securely sealed in an envelope designated to the appropriate political party chair and the inspector s…

After the result has been canvassed and declared by the county executive committee, the sheriff shall securely keep the voted ballots container and the records of election container in accordance with state and federal law. The voted ballots container and records of election cont…

The counting of the ballots having been completed, the results shall be publicly proclaimed. Separate certificates for each of the political parties entering the primary and the results of the election shall be drawn up by the inspector and clerks at each and every voting place, …

The county executive committee of the party or parties participating in the primary election shall meet at the courthouse of its county, not later than noon on Tuesday next following the primary election, and receive the returns, canvass and tabulate the same, by precincts, and p…

(a) At the respective meetings of the respective executive committees, the county executive committee, as to candidates in the primary election for office, except candidates for county office, shall publicly ascertain, determine, and declare whether any candidate for office in th…

In the event either of the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes in the first primary election shall determine not to enter the second primary election provided for in this chapter, the candidate, as soon as possible and not more than three days after holding of th…

All primary elections held by any political party in this state for the nomination of any state, national, district, circuit, county, or municipal officer shall be held and conducted under the provisions of this chapter and, except as herein modified, shall be held and conducted …

If a nominee for a single office is to be selected, with more than one candidate, then the majority of votes cast for the office in such election shall be ascertained by dividing the total votes cast for all candidates for the office by two, and any number of votes in excess of o…

If, in any primary election held under the provisions of this chapter, there shall be a tie vote cast, then such tie shall be decided by the chair of the state executive committee, if the office is an office other than a county office, and by the chair of the county executive com…

The Secretary of State, not later than 69 days before the general election, shall certify to the judge of probate of each county in the state a separate list of nominees of each party for office and for each candidate who has requested to be an independent candidate and has filed…

The state executive committee, in cases where the office to be filled is not a county office, and the county executive committee, in cases where the office to be filled is a county office, but subject to the approval of and in accordance with the method prescribed by the state ex…

Any voter in this state who votes more than once, or attempts to vote more than once, in any primary election held in this state, or who votes in both this state and another state or territory in the same or equivalent election, shall be punished in the same manner as provided fo…

Any person who shall change or in any wise alter the returns of any primary election, or remove the copy of the returns posted at any polling place before the result of the election is announced by the committee or governing authority, shall be punished in the same form and manne…

The sheriff of each county on the day of such primary election shall be present in person or by deputy at each election precinct or voting district where such elections are held, and shall preserve good order. All duties imposed and powers conferred upon the sheriff in county and…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (b) and (d), primary elections held at the expense of the state or counties shall be held on the Tuesday in May preceding Memorial Day. When necessary, as provided in this chapter, a second or runoff primary election shall be held o…

The compensation of officers and other expenses of any and all primary elections, general or special, held under the provisions of this chapter, shall be paid in the same manner and to the same extent as is or may be provided by law for the payment of the expenses and officers of…

(a) All candidates for nomination to public office or for election to party office in the primary election provided for in this chapter shall file their declaration of candidacy with the state party chair if they seek any federal, state, circuit, or district office, or the state …

The name of no candidate shall be printed upon any official ballot used at any primary election unless such person is legally qualified to hold the office for which he or she is a candidate and unless he or she is eligible to vote in the primary election in which he or she seeks …

(a) All persons who are qualified electors under the general laws of the State of Alabama and who are also members of a political party and entitled to participate in such primary election under the rules of the party shall be entitled to vote therein and shall receive the offici…

(a) If an elector votes in a primary election, he or she may vote in a subsequent primary runoff election only if he or she voted in the primary election of the same political party for which the runoff election is being held. (b) The Secretary of State shall promulgate rules to …

Separate official ballots and other election stationery and supplies for each political party shall be printed and furnished for use at each election district or precinct and shall be of a different color for each of the political parties participating in such primary election. A…

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 17-6-23 and Section 17-13-18, in a primary election or second primary election, this section shall apply only to voters who are voting by absentee ballot pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act in any count…

The judge of probate of each county is hereby required to furnish to the officers of the primary election a copy of the official list of voters of each voting place in the county, of the same kind and in the same manner as the judge of probate is required by law to furnish such l…

An assemblage or organization of electors which, at the general election for state and county officers then next preceding the primary, casts more than 20 percent of the entire vote cast in any county is hereby declared to be a political party within the meaning of this chapter w…

In determining the total vote of a political party whenever required by this chapter, the test shall be the total vote received by a candidate of that party who received the highest vote total of any of the candidates of that party. (Acts 1975, No. 1196, p. 2349, §3; §17-16-3; am…

Primary elections are not compulsory. A political party may, by its state executive committee, elect whether it will come under the primary election law. All political parties are presumed to have accepted and come under the provisions of the primary election law, but any politic…

Political parties may provide for the selection of delegates to national conventions by the holding of a presidential preference primary or by popular election of the delegates or otherwise. In the event a presidential preference primary is called by the governing body of any par…

There may be provided a committee of each party for the state and each political subdivision of the state, including counties, the committees to be selected in such manner as may be provided for by the governing authority of each party, but if there shall not be elected or chosen…

The state or county executive committee of any political party may, by a majority vote of the committee, require that members of the committee be elected by the qualified electors of such political party. If such committee adopts an appropriate resolution requiring that such memb…

When the governing body of any political party desires to enter the primary election ordered to be held under this chapter, the governing body for the state shall give public notice thereof by filing a copy of the resolution of such governing body with the Secretary of State of A…

The governing body of a party may fix assessments upon those able to pay, or other qualifications as it may deem necessary, for persons desiring to become candidates for nomination to offices at a primary election, but such assessments shall not exceed two percent of one year’s s…

Each candidate for nomination may, at least 45 days before the primary, present to the county executive committee of his or her party a list of election officials desired by him or her for any one or more of the districts, wards, or precincts, and the county committee, so far as …

The state executive committee or other governing body of any political party may provide for state conventions or conventions of other subdivisions and may provide for the election of delegates to such convention or other party officials at the general primary herein provided for…

(a) When any political party shall desire to hold any mass meeting, beat meeting, or other meeting of the voters of such party for the purpose of nominating any candidate or candidates for public office to be voted for in a general election in Alabama or for the purpose of select…

Sections 17-13-50 and 17-17-50 shall not apply where a special election is called for the election of a public officer for which the party has no candidate or where, by death, resignation, or otherwise, a vacancy has occurred in any nomination made by such party. Sections 17-13-5…

The certificate of nomination by any caucus, convention, mass meeting, or other assembly of any political party or faction in this state not conducting a primary election at the expense of the state shall be filed on or before 5:00 P.M. of the primary election day to certify thei…

Any contest to a nomination made by primary election must be filed within 24 hours after the results of the primary election have been declared, weekends excluded, under the same conditions and on the same grounds as provided in the laws of Alabama for general elections of state …