Alabama House Passes Bill for Closed Primaries

0:00In Birmingham, it's March 20th, and here's what is going on. Alabama's House of Representatives passed a bill this Thursday to close the state's primary elections. The measure, filed by State Representative Ernie Yarbrough from Trinity, would require voters to register with a political party before casting a ballot in that party's primary or runoff. Right now, Alabama runs open primaries, meaning anyone can vote in any party's primary without declaring a party affiliation. The new bill would change that by letting voters pick a party when they register and blocking changes during a 60-day blackout period before primaries. Lawmakers debated the bill at length before it cleared the House. In the Senate, State Senator Sam Gibhan from Huntsville is sponsoring it, but he's not sure if it will gain traction there. The House and Senate are heading into spring break next week and plan to return on March 31st. At that point, they'll have just six legislative days left in the session. Whether the bill becomes law remains anyone's guess as senators weigh their next moves.