Alabama § 17-3-2 - Qualifications and Appointment of Registrars; Chair. (Amended by Act 2026-580)

§ 17-3-2. Qualifications and Appointment of Registrars; Chair. (Amended by Act 2026-580)

AMENDED BY ACT 2026-580, EFFECTIVE APRIL 16, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE.

(a)(1) Registration shall be conducted in each county by a board of three reputable and suitable individuals to be appointed, unless otherwise provided by law, by the Governor, Auditor, and Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, or by a majority of them acting as a state board of appointment. In making appointments on or after October 1, 2025, the state board of appointment shall consider the racial, gender, urban, rural, and economic diversity of the that county.

(2) The registrars shall:

a. Be qualified electors and be residents of the county;

b. Have a high school diploma or equivalent;

c. Possess excellent communication skills evident by reportable experience in areas such as electronic mail, online communications, and use of multi-line telephones;

d. Demonstrate intermediate level experience and proficiency in data processing and use of computer programs used in the current day-to-day workplace, including, but not limited to, web-based operating systems;

e. Demonstrate the ability to download and upload reports and files and conduct spreadsheet manipulation; and

f. Demonstrate the ability to operate office equipment, including printers, copiers, scanners, and cameras.

(3) The Secretary of State shall prescribe guidelines to assist the state board of appointment in determining the qualifications of registrars. The registrars shall not hold an elective office during their term. One of the members shall be designated by the state board of appointment as chair of the board of registrars for each county.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Legislature may provide by local law for the appointment of additional members to the board of registrars for a county that has two courthouses.

(c) This section shall not apply in any county having a population of not less than 600,000 inhabitants according to the 1970 or any succeeding federal decennial census, and any currently effective local law or general law of local application providing for the appointment of any member of the board of registrars in the county shall remain in full force and effect and shall not be repealed by operation of this chapter.