Alabama lawmakers considering closed primary change

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – Members of the House Ethics and Campaign Finance Committee heard from more than a dozen people in their Wednesday morning meeting about whether the state should close its primary elections or keep them open.

Closed primaries would mean only registered republicans can vote in republican primaries, and only registered democrats can vote in democratic primaries.

“Closed primaries protect the voice of the people who are truly invested in the party’s vision,” said Carol Johns, secretary of Alabama’s Republican Party, who spoke in favor of HB541.

Alabama voters currently do not have to declare a political party affiliation when registering to vote.

Other public speakers disagreed with the idea.

Some said that they feel the open primaries give them the flexibility to choose the candidates that most align with their views rather than selecting a single political party.

“I’m not Democrat, not Republican, I am an unaffiliated voter who defended everything that you stand for,” said Andrew Newby, a former Marine who spoke in opposition to HB541. “I’m not allowed to vote in this state. That defies reasoning.”

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ernie Yarbrough (R-Trinity), said he wants to discourage anyone from voting in primaries with the intention of bringing unqualified candidates to the general election.

“My bigger concern here is that we have closed primaries so that everyone gets to choose the party that they want to vote for, and the candidate, the nominee that they vote for, reflects the party’s values,” he said.

However, the committee’s democratic members, including Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa), pushed back on the idea.

“If this bill passes, in order to participate, I got to pick a party before I pick a candidate,” he said.

While there are states that already have closed primaries, Rep. England said he is against the idea for any state.

“It’s the antithesis of what democracy is supposed to be about,” he said.

The committee did hold a vote on House Bill 541 after the public comment. Chairman Rep. Matt Simpson (R-Daphne) said that the committee will hold a final vote on the bill during a special meeting Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. central.

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