MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A proposal to require Alabama voters to register with a political party in order to participate in primary elections died on the final day of the 2026 legislative session, running out of time before the Senate could take a vote.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, would have limited primary participation to voters affiliated with a political party. The change would not have affected the current election cycle.
The measure had already passed the Alabama House but faced some resistance within Republican ranks. It later advanced out of a Senate committee along party lines following a public hearing that drew strong opinions from both supporters and opponents.
Supporters argued that primary elections are intended for party members to choose their nominees.
“Primary elections are not public free-for-alls. They are the mechanism by which political parties select their own nominees,” said Carol Jahns during the hearing.
Opponents warned the proposal could exclude independent voters from meaningful participation, particularly in districts where primary elections often determine the eventual winner.
“HB 541 would effectively shut thousands of Alabamians out of the most consequential part of the democratic process,” said Kim Bailey.
Democrats also questioned the rationale behind changing a system that has benefited Republicans electorally.
“If you’re winning, why do you change the process that you’ve been winning in?” said Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham.
Yarbrough countered that voters are already effectively making a party choice when they participate in primaries.
“When you go to vote in Alabama primaries, you’re already choosing R or D, so there’s nothing different about that,” he said.
The bill was on the Senate calendar for the final day of the session but did not reach the floor for a vote.
Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, said the chamber’s adjournment was triggered when the House gaveled out first, bringing legislative business to a close.
“The House adjourned, and once that happens, we’re finished too. It’s the last moment of the last day,” Gudger said.
He added that lawmakers had been working toward a potential path forward on the issue, even in the final hours of the session.
“We felt pretty confident that we were all going in the right direction,” he said.
Despite its failure this year, legislative leaders expect the debate over closed primaries to return in the next quadrennium.
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