[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6650280,"mediaKeyId","2508503-be6967431f088fd56c8ba04266fdf256","parentId",2508503,"title","Committee gives favorable report to bill moving off‑year May primary to second Tuesday","audioSeconds",507,"startMs",97000,"endMs",604000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2508503-be6967431f088fd56c8ba04266fdf256&start=97&end=604","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2508503-be6967431f088fd56c8ba04266fdf256/thumbnail_97000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6650280/Alabama/Committee-gives-favorable-report-to-bill-moving-offyear-May-primary-to-second-Tuesday","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650280-7a4ac311a318a01a22d6ce7de7c17ac8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112972&Signature=Ro0JVNpo17RYg4QR1PaTU7KHX2ZuiGNeN23r5N1tTCDgCOzQ3kx0-TLx4hhMxh7BIhben-BVyCGpKRQsuo70~E4~Dvg-lGIX2cYXlJr8ma3LtptYG47RIv~YiQ-Eo2o1NJR3rfdHoFAb2xp~DiV9GSWJK3xlXiOpUwUT8s8fvzJClE9-f0eoucjlPn2n0oQcH35bCDZzKYIMzFq1PnnH28VwoaDauCqXz-9qDzmL~iru1dV2xhtZEV7SOjegnrCHbvl0URmA~Yg10Wnr5zyL5hc1O8mb3~nZJE7NmiGj9gAOXKMxUFDcEA26CT4Koz99L5G6aZZzH-wacVKYs1lyqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alabama House Sessions","date","2025-03-05T18:55:56.54Z","article","The Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee gave House Bill 258 a favorable report after members debated moving the off‑presidential‑year May primary from the fourth Tuesday to the second Tuesday in May.

Sponsor Representative Carnes described the bill as “one of the simplest bills I’ve ever handled,” saying it “changes one word in an existing statute” and that in 2026 the current fourth‑Tuesday date would fall the day after Memorial Day. He warned that would “probably double or triple the cost of every county doing elections” and could depress turnout, and said he had run the proposal by the Secretary of State’s Office and the County Commission Association, which he said support the change.

Committee members asked how the change would affect runoff and qualifying dates. Representative Pincher asked whether the runoff date would move; Carnes said runoffs would remain four weeks after the primary. Committee members and staff clarified qualifying timing: qualifying ends at 5 p.m. on a Friday 116 days before the primary. In an example cited during the meeting, if the primary were the second Tuesday in May (May 13 in the scenario discussed), qualifying would close at 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, and the qualifying period would likely open in mid‑November. By contrast, a fourth‑Tuesday primary would shift qualifying later into the winter months, committee members said.

Mike Jones of the Secretary of State’s Office told the committee that the agency “can actually run the administrative calendars” to model any date changes and that staff can test the proposed schedule for unintended consequences. Members asked Jones to double‑check the calendar impacts after the vote.

The committee took a voice vote on a motion to give the bill a favorable report. Vice Chairman Harlan Mooney moved to report the bill favorably; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. A staff follow‑up was requested to confirm there are no unintended administrative consequences from the date change.

The sponsor and several members said an additional reason for the change was to avoid conflicts that previously fell on high‑school graduation dates when the primary landed in the latter part of May. No formal amendment to the bill was recorded in committee discussion.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Alabama House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee","oneSentenceSummary","The Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee gave House Bill 258 a favorable report after members debated moving the off‑presidential‑year May primary from the fourth Tuesday to the second Tuesday in May.","taxTitle","Constitution, Campaigns and Elections, House, Alabama Legislative Sessions, Alabama","taxId",15876,"location","Alabama","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6650278,"Sponsor to revise House Bill 308 on county funding; committee does not act",60,684000,744000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2508503-be6967431f088fd56c8ba04266fdf256&start=684&end=744","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2508503-be6967431f088fd56c8ba04266fdf256/thumbnail_684000.jpg","/articles/6650278/Alabama/Sponsor-to-revise-House-Bill-308-on-county-funding-committee-does-not-act","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650278-2e56bedef68ae8366a865b5cae6c298c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112972&Signature=gGc-JSEiFIpT674~1lJqNd1mQSoCToU86SLE-RLnA73pnnY8EKOf71o2wF1jzcv2bB6ncCkHRF09tTvzLqzAcxJDclE0kx3f~jUtgcX8pxHnr3w1g9gsFwYo2fRvEBeLcSm5-J0-y5JpLZc4qG5xM6-dtfYaStz33iJyDHc~0mJZMJgRH5T1defVkCZR2fqEQzXDpfAy2SMNppXQ0EokrZNSZxuaWTOlCr5wAeThxeR9PMznQCVPdku9mwZfbuo6MJp6OYbvSTRLXY8BTMdV17C5FmhCWxF8-JTG5e9dH-m-8qsqw-PhUmdNTzWj2VvkMgUIuTUOzH8vgHTCpYxBWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Committee members briefly considered House Bill 308 but took no action after the sponsor said the measure required additional work with interested parties.

The sponsor told the committee that many questions had arisen since the bill’s introduction and that he planned to work with “very interested parties” and return the bill to the committee later. The sponsor said the proposal as drafted would affect “counties that have over roughly $40,000 fixed,” but he did not provide additional legislative text or a fiscal breakdown during the meeting.

No motion or vote on House Bill 308 was recorded. The sponsor said he intended to reintroduce the measure after further drafting and stakeholder consultation.","Committee members heard introductory comments on House Bill 308, the sponsor said the bill will be revised and returned for further consideration, and no committee vote was taken.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee gives favorable report to bill moving off‑year May primary to second Tuesday

Sponsor to revise House Bill 308 on county funding; committee does not act