Alabama House Approves Closed Primaries, Shifts Power

0:00I'm Cory with the story, and this is your pulse of the city, Birmingham News today. Alabama's House Ethics and Campaign Finance Committee approved a bill on Tuesday to switch the state to close primary elections. The vote split along party lines, with Republicans pushing the change forward. Right now, Alabama runs open primaries, where anyone can vote in any party's contest without declaring a party. State Representative Ernie Yarbrough, a Republican from Trinity, sponsored the measure. He argues it ensures party primaries stay true to selecting nominees and committee members for those specific groups. The bill would let voters pick a party when they register and require that affiliation to join a primary or runoff. Democrats on the committee push back hard. Representative Chris England from Tuscaloosa called it a Republican internal issue. Not something everyday voters have complained about over the years. He noted no one had raised concerns in his 16 years in office. The proposal includes a blackout rule, barring party switches 60 days before primary.

1:04It would end Alabama's no-party registration setup on voter forms. Now the bill moves to the full house floor for debate, possibly as soon as Thursday. If it passes there, it could reshape how Alabamians pick candidates in future elections. Support for this episode comes from our sponsor. See the description. It phones in a pillow, simple idea, surprisingly addictive, S-O-L-I-S-O-L-P-L-O dot com.