HB359 Summary

• Amends Section 17-4-2 and adds Section 17-4-2.1 of the Alabama Code to authorize the Secretary of State to implement a pilot program for electronic poll books as an alternative to printed voter lists.

• Pilot program participation limited to 4-8 counties (with county commission and judge of probate consent) and up to 8 municipalities, with required inclusion of at least two high population counties, one medium population county, and one low population county.

• Electronic poll books must be certified by the Secretary of State and meet requirements including security, compatibility with statewide voter registration system, data recovery procedures, signature verification, and voter history upload capability.

• Electronic poll books cannot be populated with voter data until the 10-day period immediately prior to an election and may not be used for voters required to cast provisional ballots.

• State of Alabama pays all expenses and costs for participating counties; Secretary of State shall develop instructions and may promulgate administrative rules for implementation; act becomes effective the first day of the third month following passage and approval.