AL HB404

Write-in votes are permitted only in non-municipal general elections and require candidates to register with the Secretary of State or judge of probate at least 90 days prior to the election.

Write-in candidates must comply with the Fair Campaign Practices Act and State Ethics Law to have their votes counted.

Valid write-in votes require both writing the candidate's name on the ballot and marking a designated space for that office; votes not registered as required will not be counted.

Write-in ballots are returned to a central county location and tabulated by the judge of probate, with individual votes counted only if the tabulated total could affect the election outcome.

For multi-county elections, the Secretary of State determines whether write-in vote totals could affect the outcome; qualified electors may request a full count of write-in votes within two business days of the election and must pay actual counting costs.