Lieutenant Governor Vacancy Election Requirement
Summary
Alabama enacted SB271, a constitutional amendment establishing that Lieutenant Governor vacancies must be filled by election under certain circumstances. Sponsored by Senator Sam Givhan, the bill passed both chambers with unanimous support and was signed into law on April 1, 2026.
What changed
Alabama SB271 enacts a constitutional amendment requiring that a vacancy in the office of Lieutenant Governor be filled by election rather than appointment in specified circumstances. The bill was sponsored by Senator Sam Givhan and underwent amendments in both chambers before passing the Senate 25-0 and House 66-0.
State and local election authorities should prepare for implementation by reviewing existing succession procedures and determining how future Lieutenant Governor vacancies will be handled under this new election requirement. The amendment applies to the executive branch succession process and will affect how political parties and election officials manage vacant statewide offices.
What to do next
- Review existing succession procedures for Lieutenant Governor vacancies
- Update internal protocols to reflect election-based vacancy filling requirements
- Monitor for any implementing legislation or administrative rules
Source document (simplified)
ChangeBridge / Alabama / SB271 Enacted SB271 Senate Bill Enacted 2026-04-01
Lieutenant Governor, vacancy in office, require the office be filled by election in certain circumstances, constitutional amendment
Bill Details
State Alabama
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber Senate
Official Source alison.legislature.state.al.us/bill-search
LegiScan View on LegiScan
Sponsors
Sam Givhan (Sen - R)
Action History
2026-04-01 H Signature Requested 2026-04-01 S Sent to Secretary of State 2026-04-01 S Delivered to Governor 2026-04-01 S Enrolled 2026-04-01 S Ready to Enroll 2026-04-01 S Givhan Concur In and Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1011 2026-04-01 H Third Reading in Second House 2026-03-31 H Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 1091 2026-03-31 H Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1090 NRP36J8-1 2026-03-31 H Lovvorn 1st Amendment Offered NRP36J8-1 2026-03-31 H Third Reading in Second House 2026-03-05 H Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar 2026-03-04 H Reported Out of Committee Second House 2026-02-24 H Pending House State Government 2026-02-24 H Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on State Government 2026-02-19 S Engrossed 2026-02-19 S Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 485 2026-02-19 S Givhan motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 484 2JZRHII-1 2026-02-19 S Givhan 1st Amendment Offered 2JZRHII-1 2026-02-19 S Third Reading in House of Origin 2026-02-12 S Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar 2026-02-11 S Reported Out of Committee House of Origin 2026-02-05 S Pending Senate State Governmental Affairs 2026-02-05 S Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on State Governmental Affairs
Votes
2026-02-19 SBIR: Passed by House of Origin Yea: 29 Nay: 0 2026-02-19 Third Reading in House of Origin Yea: 29 Nay: 0 2026-02-19 Givhan motion to Adopt - Roll Call 484 2JZRHII-1 Yea: 29 Nay: 0 2026-02-19 Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Roll Call 485 Yea: 29 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 HBIR: Passed by Second House Yea: 102 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 Third Reading in Second House Yea: 102 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 Motion to Adopt - Roll Call 1057 NRP36J8-1 Yea: 101 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Roll Call 1058 Yea: 101 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 HBIR: Passed by Second House Yea: 66 Nay: 0 2026-04-01 Third Reading in Second House Yea: 66 Nay: 0 2026-04-01 Givhan Concur In and Adopt - Roll Call 1011 Yea: 25 Nay: 0
Committee Referrals
2026-02-05 S State Governmental Affairs 2026-02-24 H State Government
Amendments
2026-02-19 Senate Givhan motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 484 2026-03-31 House Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1057
Bill Text Versions
2026-02-05 Introduced 2026-02-19 Engrossed 2026-04-01 Enrolled
Subjects
Constitutional Amendments Statewide Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
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