Alabama Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville, has pre-filed a bill that would allow registered voters to vote prior to election day.

This bill would require each county to provide at least one early voting center to be open during the week immediately preceding election day, according to its text.

It specifies that the centers cannot allow people to vote less than four days or more than six days during the one-week period immediately preceding election day.

On weekdays and Saturdays, the centers would be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays, they would be open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

If the governing body of a county opts to establish more than one early voting center, the bill says officials will have the sole authority to configure the centers’ boundaries.

County officials will also control what days the centers are open, provided they allow people to vote between four and six days prior to election day.

Alabama lawmakers have shown increased interest in establishing early voting this year as the state remains one of only three without any way of doing it.

“I think we need to see what other states are doing,” said Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, a former General Fund chairman in the Alabama House, advocating for a study or an analysis of how much early voting costs elsewhere.

But many state officials remain opposed to the idea.

“Since before I was elected as Secretary of State, I have been clear that I believe in Election Day, not election month,” said Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, a former Republican state lawmaker from Troy.

“Alabamians deserve a fair, secure, and transparent election. Initiatives like no excuse absentee voting, unsolicited mass mail voting, curbside ballot drop boxes, and same-day voter registration can lead to chaos and confusion, like we have seen in other states.”

Jackson’s bill is currently pending action in the House Committee on Constitution, Campaigns and Elections.