2006 Alabama Code - Section 17-9-7 — Requirements and specifications.

No voting machine shall be installed for use in any election in this state unless it shall satisfy the following requirements:

(1) It shall provide facilities for voting for such candidates as may be nominated, and upon such questions as may be submitted.

(2) It shall permit each voter, at other than primary elections, to vote a straight political party ticket in one operation, and, in one operation, to vote for all the candidates of one political party for presidential electors, and, in one operation, to vote for all the candidates of one political party for every office to be voted for; except those offices as to which he votes for individual candidates.

(3) It shall permit each voter, at other than primary elections, to vote a ticket selected from the nominees of any and all political parties, from the nominees of any and all political bodies, and from persons not in nomination.

(4) It shall permit each voter to vote, at any election, for any person and for any office for whom and for which he is lawfully entitled to vote, whether or not the name of such person appears upon a ballot, at other than primary elections, as a candidate for nomination or election, as many persons for an office as he is entitled to vote for, and to vote for or against any question upon which he is entitled to vote.

(5) It shall preclude each voter from voting for any candidate or upon any question for whom or upon which he is not entitled to vote, and from voting for more persons or any office than he is entitled to vote for, and from voting for any candidate for the same office or upon any question more than once.

(6) It shall permit each voter to deposit, write in or affix upon receptacles or devices provided for the purpose, ballots containing the names of persons for whom he desires to vote, whose names do not appear upon the machine except in primary elections.

(7) It shall permit each voter to change his vote for any candidate, or upon any question appearing upon the ballot labels, up to the time he begins the final operation to register his vote.

(8) It shall permit and require voting in absolute secrecy and shall be so constructed that no person can see or know for whom any other elector has voted or is voting, save a voter whom he has assisted or is assisting in voting, as prescribed by law.

(9) It shall have voting devices for separate candidates and questions, which shall be arranged in separate parallel rows or columns, so that, at any primary election, one or more adjacent rows or columns may be assigned to the candidates of a party, and shall have parallel office columns or rows transverse thereto.

(10) It shall have a counter or other device which shall show during any period of voting the total number of voters who have operated the machine during said period of voting.

(11) It shall have a protective counter, or other device, the register of which cannot be reset, which shall record the cumulative total number of movements of the operating mechanism.

(12) It shall be provided with a lock or locks, by the use of which, immediately after the polls are closed, or the operation of the machine for an election is completed, all movement of the registering mechanism is absolutely prevented.

(13) It shall be provided with a screen, hood, or curtain, which shall conceal the actions of the voter while voting.

(14) It shall, when properly operated, register or record correctly and accurately every vote cast.

(15) It shall be constructed of material of good quality, in a neat and workmanlike manner.

(16) It shall be so constructed that a voter may readily learn the method of operating it.

(17) It shall be safely transportable.

(18) It shall be so constructed and controlled that, during the progress of voting, it shall preclude every person from seeing or knowing the number of votes registered for any candidate, and from tampering with any of the registering mechanism.

(19) It shall be so constructed and equipped with devices or attachments as to comply with the "single short" provisions of the Alabama election laws, whenever and wherever such provisions are applicable at elections in said state.

(20) It shall be so constructed as to permit the casting and recording of challenged votes by means of the "irregular ballot" method or shall be equipped with such devices and attachments as to allow the casting and recording of challenged votes, as provided by law.

Before any voting machine is purchased, rented or leased, the person or corporation owning or manufacturing such machine must give an adequate guarantee, in writing, securing that such machines comply fully with the above requirements and will correctly, accurately and continuously register and record every vote cast.

(Acts 1939, No. 292, p. 443; Code 1940, T. 17, §97.)