Voter list dissemination and commercial-use ban
AL Voter List Law
Government records · Marketing
Makes voter lists and 10 cycles of election history available electronically for a fee of up to $1,000 per list, but keeps Social Security numbers, driver license numbers, email addresses, telephone numbers, and other protected voter data confidential. Voters registering or updating from June 1, 2026 can opt in to share their phone number. Anyone who gets the data may not sell, publish, or use it for commercial purposes; election and campaign uses are allowed.
- Where
- Alabama
- Citation
- Ala. Code § 17-4-38 (as amended by Act 2026-570, HB67)
- Status
- In force
- Last amended
- 2026-06-01
- Enforced by
- Alabama Secretary of State (list access); no enforcement mechanism specified in the section
- People can sue
- No
- Penalties
- The section declares commercial sale, publication, or use of voter list data unlawful but sets no specific penalty. The enrolled text of Act 2026-570 contains no criminal penalty, despite its bill title referring to a crime for misuse of voter information.
- Applies to
- Any person who obtains voter lists or voter data from the Alabama Secretary of State
- The Secretary of State (dissemination limits)
Practices it requires
- Do not sell or publish any portion of a voter list or use Secretary of State voter data for commercial purposes, except as the statute allows (electioneering and campaign uses are not commercial).Ala. Code § 17-4-38(h)
- The Secretary of State may not disseminate SSNs, driver license numbers, email addresses, telephone numbers (unless the voter opts in after June 1, 2026), or other protected voter data except to authorized government agencies.Ala. Code § 17-4-38(c)(2)-(3) · From 2026-06-01
Sources
- Official text
- Ala. Code § 17-4-38 (Code of Alabama, Alabama Legislature ALISON)
- HB67 (2026 Regular Session), enrolled text, Act 2026-570 (effective June 1, 2026)
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: No penalty for the commercial-use ban was found in § 17-4-38 or the enrolled Act 2026-570; general criminal statutes on unlawful acts may apply but were not researched. | Original enactment date of the section (Act 94-826, later renumbered) left null.
Research reference, not legal advice.