2023 Code of Alabama › Title 17 - Elections. › Chapter 4 - Voter Registration Lists. › Article 1 - County Voter Registration Lists. › Section 17-4-2.1 - Electronic Poll Books.

Section 17-4-2.1
Electronic poll books.
(a) The Secretary of State may allow the use of electronic poll books in lieu of the printed lists of qualified voters provided for in Section 17-4-2 and the poll lists provided for in Sections 17-9-11 and 17-13-7. A county, with consent of the county commission and judge of probate, may use electronic poll books in lieu of the printed lists of qualified voters. In addition, the Secretary of State and municipal governing bodies may allow the use of electronic poll books in lieu of the printed lists of qualified voters provided for in Section 11-46-36 or any local law governing a municipal election.
(b) A participating county or municipality may adopt the use of any electronic poll book that has been certified by the Secretary of State for use in this state.
(c) To be certified for use by the Secretary of State, an electronic poll book shall do all of the following:
(1) Be secure.
(2) Be compatible with the statewide voter registration system.
(3) Include a failsafe data recovery procedure for information included in the electronic poll book.
(4) Contain the same information as the printed lists provided for in Section 11-46-36 and any local law governing a municipal election and in Section 17-4-2 and the poll lists provided for in Section 11-46-50 and any local law governing a municipal election and in Sections 17-9-11 and 17-13-7.
(5) Indicate whether the voter applied for an absentee ballot and the registration status of the voter in the statewide voter registration list.
(6) Provide an electronic process to check in a voter on election day that incorporates the signature requirements set forth in Section 11-46-50 and any local law governing a municipal election and in Section 17-9-11; provided that this process may not be used for checking in a voter who is required to cast a provisional ballot as provided for in Chapter 10 of this title, or whose name is not contained in the electronic poll book as an eligible voter for the precinct.
(7) Provide functionality for quickly and accurately uploading voter history into the statewide voter registration list in accordance with Section 17-4-33.
(8) Provide for the retention of the voter data contained in the electronic poll book for the applicable retention period applicable to the records of election, which may be accomplished by archiving the data in electronic format on an external data storage device.
(9) When used in a primary election or primary runoff election, provide for the recording and subsequent printing or exporting of electronic data of names and electronic signatures of the voters participating in the primary election or primary runoff election of each political party.
(10) Comply with additional requirements as determined to be necessary and promulgated by the Secretary of State by rule pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act.
(d) Electronic poll books may not be populated with data for eligible voters until the 10-day period immediately prior to an election in accordance with Section 17-4-2.
(e) The Secretary of State shall develop and provide to each participating county and municipality instructions, directives, and advisories regarding the examination, testing, and use of the electronic poll books.
(f) All expenses and costs incurred by a county commission in carrying out this section may be paid from funds made available to the Secretary of State under state and federal law to pay all such expenses and costs in all participating counties, from county general funds, or from municipal general funds.
(g) The Secretary of State may promulgate rules pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the provisions of this section.
(Act 2016-317, §2; Act 2017-340, §1.)