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SB24 • 2026

Restoration of Voting Rights; Pardons and Paroles Board required to post application for individuals seeking restoration; board required to notify individuals and Secretary of State when voting rights restored

Restoration of Voting Rights; Pardons and Paroles Board required to post application for individuals seeking restoration; board required to notify individuals and Secretary of State when voting rights restored

Crime Elections
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Coleman-Madison
Last action
2026-04-16
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill mentions publishing the county of residence if included on the application, which was omitted from the summary for brevity.

SB24: Online Voting Rights Restoration Application

This law requires the Board of Pardons and Paroles to post an online application form for restoring voting rights by March 1, 2027, and to publish a list of parolees and probationers whose rights have been restored.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Board of Pardons and Paroles to put instructions and an electronic application form on its website by March 1, 2027.
  • Allows individuals who lost voting rights due to a conviction to submit an online application for restoration if they meet existing legal criteria.
  • Directs the board to review applications immediately upon receipt and issue a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote when appropriate.
  • Requires the board to publish the Alabama Institutional Serial (AIS) number on its website for parolees or probationers whose voting rights are restored.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Individuals who lost their right to vote because of a criminal conviction
  • The Board of Pardons and Paroles in Alabama

Terms To Know

Alabama Institutional Serial (AIS) number
A unique identification number assigned by the state to individuals under parole or probation.
Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote
An official document issued by the board that allows a person to register and vote after their rights are restored.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not change who is eligible for restoration; it only creates an online way to apply under existing rules.
  • The text requires immediate review but does not specify a maximum number of days the board has to issue certificates.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

QNGDT54-1

R 1313

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment requires the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to create an online application for people who lost their voting rights due to a crime, review those applications quickly, and publish a list of approved individuals on its website.

  • The board must put clear instructions and an electronic form on its website by March 1, 2027, so people can apply for the right to vote again.
  • When someone submits this online application, the board must review it immediately and issue a certificate if they qualify under current laws.
  • The board is required to post names of approved parolees or probationers on its website along with their county information.
  • This text does not explain what specific crimes disqualify someone from voting, only that the application process applies if they meet criteria in Section 15-22-36.1.
  • The amendment sets a deadline of March 1, 2027, for creating the website tools but does not specify how long it will take to review applications after submission.
XDWFS7Z-1

R 1314

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment requires the Pardons and Paroles Board to publish specific identification numbers for people on parole or probation who are seeking voting rights.

  • The board must post the Alabama Institutional Serial (AIS) number of each person on its website when they apply to restore their voting rights.
  • The provided text is incomplete and cuts off mid-sentence, so it does not show all changes or explain how these numbers will be used.
  • Because the amendment text ends abruptly at line 14 of page 2, some details about the notification process may be missing.
PS8IDEE-1

R 502 • Coleman-Madison

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment requires the Board of Pardons and Paroles to create an online application for people who lost their voting rights due to a crime, while also making sure both that board and the Secretary of State publish lists of names when those rights are restored.

  • The Board of Pardons and Paroles must put instructions and an electronic form on its website by March 1, 2027, so people can apply to get their voting rights back.
  • When someone applies online using the new form, it will go directly to the board for review without needing paper paperwork.
  • The Board of Pardons and Paroles must post a list on its website showing the names of individuals whose voting rights have been restored along with their county information.
  • The Secretary of State must also publish this same list of names on their own official website after receiving it from the board.
  • This amendment does not explain what specific rules or requirements a person must meet to be eligible for having their voting rights restored.
  • The text refers to existing laws (Section 15-22-36.1) that contain the actual eligibility criteria, which are not included in this document.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-16 Senate

    Enacted

  2. 2026-04-09 House

    Signature Requested

  3. 2026-04-09 Senate

    Delivered to Governor

  4. 2026-04-09 Senate

    Enrolled

  5. 2026-04-08 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 1315 (Yeas 78, Nays 3)

  6. 2026-04-08 House

    Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1314 (Yeas 87, Nays 0)

  7. 2026-04-08 House

    Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1313 (Yeas 99, Nays 0)

  8. 2026-04-08 Senate

    Gudger Motion to Concur In and Adopt House Amendment - Adopted Roll Call 1266 (Yeas 33, Nays 0)

  9. 2026-04-08 Senate

    Ready to Enroll

  10. 2026-04-08 House

    Clarke 1st Amendment Offered

  11. 2026-04-08 House

    Judiciary Engrossed Substitute Offered

  12. 2026-04-08 House

    Third Reading in Second House

  13. 2026-03-11 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  14. 2026-03-11 House

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  15. 2026-02-24 House

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  16. 2026-02-24 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary

  17. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 503 (Yeas 26, Nays 0)

  18. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Coleman-Madison motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 502 (Yeas 27, Nays 0)

  19. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 28, Nays 0)

  20. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Engrossed

  21. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Judiciary 1st Substitute Offered

  22. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  23. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  24. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Judiciary 1st Substitute

  25. 2026-01-13 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  26. 2026-01-13 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary

Official Summary Text

This act requires the Board of Pardons and Paroles to post on the board's website: (1) instructions and an electronically submittable application form for individuals who have lost their voting rights due to a criminal conviction to request the restoration of voting rights if applicable, not later than March 1, 2027; and (2) the Alabama Institutional Serial (AIS) number of parolees and probationers whose voting rights have been restored.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SB24 ENROLLED
Page 0
SB24
QNGDT54-2
By Senator Coleman-Madison
RFD: Judiciary
First Read: 13-Jan-26
PFD: 05-Nov-25
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SB24 Enrolled
Page 1
PFD: 05-Nov-25
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to voting; to require the Board of Pardons and
Paroles to post procedures and an application form for
requesting restoration of voting rights for those individuals
who have lost their voting rights by reason of conviction; and
to require the Board of Pardons and Paroles to post on its
website the Alabama Institutional Serial (AIS) number of
parolees and probationers whose voting rights have been
restored.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. (a) No later than March 1, 2027, the Board
of Pardons and Paroles shall develop and make available on the
agency's website, in an easily accessible manner, an
explanation of how an individual who has lost his or her right
to vote by reason of conviction of a crime may have their
right to vote restored under Section 15-22-36.1 if the
individual meets the criteria set forth in that section. The
website shall include a form, along with instructions, which
an individual may electronically submit, which shall serve as
an application for a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to
Vote. The form shall automatically be submitted to the Board
of Pardons and Paroles.
(b) Upon receipt of an application under subsection
(a), the board shall forthwith review the application and make
a determination of eligibility in accordance with Section
15-22-36.1 and, if appropriate, issue to the applicant a
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SB24 Enrolled
Page 2
15-22-36.1 and, if appropriate, issue to the applicant a
Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote in accordance
with Section 15-22-36.1(e).
(c) The Board of Pardons and Paroles shall publish on
the board's website the Alabama Institutional Serial (AIS)
number of each individual who is a parolee or probationer
under the jurisdiction of the board whose right to vote has
been restored pursuant to Section 15-22-36.1 and if an
applicant under subsection (a) included his or her residence
on the application form, the county in which the individual
resides.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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SB24 Enrolled
Page 3
1, 2026.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB24
Senate 19-Feb-26
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate, as amended.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Amended and passed: 08-Apr-26
Senate concurred in House amendment 08-Apr-26
By: Senator Coleman-Madison
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