HB117 Summary

• Allows any qualified registered voter in Alabama to vote by absentee ballot without providing an excuse, eliminating current requirements to meet specific criteria.

• Removes eight existing excuse-based requirements for absentee voting (absence from county, illness, work schedule, student status, military service, election officer duty, caregiver status, and incarceration).

• Maintains absentee ballot application and submission procedures, including mail delivery deadlines (7 days prior) and hand delivery deadlines (5 days prior).

• Requires absentee ballots to be accompanied by signed affidavits witnessed by two witnesses 18 years or older, a notary public, or an authorized officer.

• Becomes effective October 1, 2024.