AL Political Reporter: “The possibility of legislation to close Alabama’s primaries and allow only individuals registered with a party to participate during party primaries has returned, with Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl in recent weeks calling for the closing of the primary system.
In mid-June of this year, Wahl said on The Yaffee Program, a radio show on Athen’s WVNN, that he would “encourage closing the primaries” during the next legislative session.
“Is it okay for Republicans to pick a Democrat nominee, or for Democrats to pick a Republican nominee? I think the answer is no,” Wahl said in an interview with APR on Wednesday. “It goes back to the fundamental idea of political parties: Members of that party or voters of that party are who should decide the nominees.”
Currently, registered voters in Alabama do not register with a political party prior to voting in state primaries. At the voting booth, voters are given a choice between both major party ballots and allowed to vote in either no matter their previous voting history. State party primaries are publicly funded but run by each respective party.”