Alabama House Passes Party Registration Bill After Years of GOP Calls for Reform

From the Alabama Republican Party

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama House of Representatives has passed HB541, the SAVE Act, marking a major step toward implementing party registration in Alabama and protecting the integrity of Republican primaries.

“Republicans across Alabama have been asking for this for more than a decade,” said ALGOP Chairman Scott Stadthagen. “The message from the grassroots of our Party has been clear — Republican voters should choose Republican nominees.”

Party registration has been a long-standing priority of the Alabama Republican Party. The State Executive Committee has adopted resolutions calling for party registration three times — in January 2014, August 2022, and again just weeks ago at its 2026 Winter Meeting

The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough and received strong support from House Republican leadership and numerous co-sponsors, including House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter and Rep. Stadthagen.

“I want to especially thank Rep. Ernie Yarbrough for sponsoring this legislation and doing the work to move it through the Alabama House,” Stadthagen said. “Ernie stepped up to lead on an issue that Republicans across our state care deeply about, and his leadership made today’s vote possible.”

Stadthagen also pointed to documented cases of Democrats intentionally voting in Republican primaries to influence the outcome.

“For years we’ve seen Democrats openly talk about voting in Republican primaries to influence the outcome — some even bragging about it in national media outlets like the New York Times,” Stadthagen said. “That’s not healthy for either party, and it’s certainly not fair to Republican voters.”

The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate, where Sen. Sam Givhan is sponsoring the legislation.

“We’re grateful for the strong support this bill received in the House, including from Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter and many Republican co-sponsors who helped carry it forward,” Stadthagen said. “We’re already working closely with the Senate, and we look forward to getting this done.”

“Republican voters should decide Republican nominees,” Stadthagen added. “That’s exactly what this bill protects.”