Code of Alabama
Chapter 65 - Horse Racing and Greyhound Racing in Class 1 Municipalities.
Section 11-65-4 - Elections Required to Approve Incorporation of Commission and Conduct of Racing and Pari-Mutuel Wagering Thereon.

(a) No commission shall be incorporated for a Class 1 municipality and no horse racing or greyhound racing or pari-mutuel wagering thereon shall be permitted in such municipality pursuant to this chapter unless the incorporation of such commission, together with the conduct of horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon or greyhound racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon or both such activities, shall have been authorized by an election held in the host county in which such incorporation and such racing and wagering activities shall have been approved by both (i) a majority of the votes cast in such election by voters who reside in the host county (including those voters who reside in the sponsoring municipality) and (ii) a majority of the votes cast in such election by voters who reside in the commission municipal jurisdiction. In order to authorize the holding of the required election in the host county, the governing body of any Class 1 municipality desiring to be the sponsoring municipality of a commission may adopt an ordinance or resolution requesting the county commission of the host county to call an election to be held in the host county on the question of incorporating a commission, and in such ordinance or resolution the governing body of the sponsoring municipality shall determine the date of such election, which shall not be less than 45 days nor more than 90 days after the date of the adoption of such ordinance or resolution, and shall further determine which of the following alternatives shall be authorized in the commission municipal jurisdiction by such election: (1) horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon; (2) greyhound racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon; or (3) both horse racing and greyhound racing with pari-mutuel wagering on both racing activities. Depending on the alternative selected by the governing body of the sponsoring municipality, the question to be presented to the voters shall be stated on the ballots or voting machine tags substantially as follows:
"Do you favor the creation of a racing commission for the City of ___________ [insert the name of the sponsoring municipality] and the authorization of [insert here one of the following alternatives selected by the governing body of the sponsoring municipality in the ordinance or resolution calling the election]

The sponsoring municipality shall promptly furnish a certified copy of the ordinance or resolution calling such election to the county commission of the host county, whereupon such county commission shall be required to call an election in the host county to be held on the question and on the date specified in such ordinance or resolution. The election so called shall be held only among the qualified voters of the host county, and no voters of the sponsoring municipality who reside in counties other than the host county shall be permitted to vote in such election. If the majority of the votes cast in such election are "Yes", and if the majority of the votes cast in such election by voters who are residents of the commission municipal jurisdiction are "Yes", then this chapter shall become operative with respect to such municipality, a commission may be incorporated therefor, and the racing and wagering activities authorized by such election shall be legal in the commission municipal jurisdiction, as and to the extent conducted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, but such activities shall continue to be illegal in those parts of the sponsoring municipality outside such jurisdiction. If the majority of the votes cast in such election are "No", or if the majority of the votes cast in such election by voters who are residents of the commission municipal jurisdiction are "No", then this chapter shall have no further effect with respect to such municipality, unless the governing body thereof should later request the county commission of the host county to call another election subject to the provisions of subsection (d).
(b) In any case where an election has been previously held for a sponsoring municipality and the host county thereof in accordance with the then effective provisions of this chapter that authorized either horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon or greyhound racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon, but not both such racing activities, and a commission has been incorporated for such municipality and is in operation, the racing and wagering activity not authorized by such previous election shall not be permitted in such municipality pursuant to this chapter unless the same shall have been authorized by another election held in the host county in which such activity shall have been approved by both (i) a majority of the votes cast in such election by voters who reside in the host county (including those voters who reside in the sponsoring municipality) and (ii) a majority of the votes cast in such election by voters who reside in the commission municipal jurisdiction. In order to authorize the holding of the required election in the host county, the governing body of the sponsoring municipality may adopt an ordinance or resolution requesting the county commission of the host county to call an election to be held on the question of authorizing any racing and wagering activity covered by this chapter that has not theretofore been authorized by an election, and in such ordinance or resolution the governing body of the sponsoring municipality shall determine the date of such election, which shall not be less than 45 days nor more than 90 days after the date of the adoption of such ordinance or resolution, and shall further specify the racing and wagering activity, whether horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon or greyhound racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon, that is to be authorized by such election; provided, however, that, anything contained in this chapter to the contrary notwithstanding, in the case of any Class 1 municipality for which horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon has been authorized by an election held prior to April 16, 1991, the governing body of such municipality is hereby mandated to request the county commission of the host county call an election before January 1, 1992, in accordance with the provisions of this section for purpose of determining whether greyhound racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon shall be permitted in the commission municipal jurisdiction. Depending on which racing and wagering activity is to be authorized by the election, the question to be voted on shall be stated on the ballots or voting machine tags substantially as follows:
"Do you favor the authorization of [insert here one of the following alternatives specified by the governing body of the sponsoring municipality in the ordinance or resolution calling the election]




(c) The appropriate election officials of the sponsoring municipality and the host county are hereby directed to cooperate in calling and conducting any election held pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) and in canvassing and declaring the results of such election. Any election called by the sponsoring municipality shall not be held on the date the sponsoring municipality holds an election for its mayor or for two or more members of its governing body. Any such election shall be called, advertised, conducted, and the results thereof canvassed and declared in the manner provided by law for calling, advertising, conducting, and canvassing other county elections on propositions submitted to the voters of the host county and as the governing body of the host county shall provide in the resolution calling such election; provided, however, that, notwithstanding any statute which requires, or might be interpreted to require, notice of such election in the sponsoring municipality to be published more than 30 days before such election, it is hereby expressly provided that the publication of notice of an election at least 30 days prior thereto prescribed by Section 17-7-5 for county elections shall also apply to the publication of notice of such election in the sponsoring municipality. The election officials of the sponsoring municipality and the host county are hereby directed to cooperate in preparing voter lists and establishing polling places that will enable the results of such election in the commission municipal jurisdiction to be separately determined from the results of such election in the host county as a whole. The costs of conducting any election pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) shall be equitably apportioned between the sponsoring municipality and the host county according to agreement among the respective election officials of each such political subdivision or according to such other statutes as may at the time be applicable to the division of such election costs between the sponsoring municipality and the host county. In the event that the election officials of the sponsoring municipality and the host county cannot agree on a division of election costs and no other statute governs the division of such costs, such costs shall be divided equally among the sponsoring municipality and the host county. The results of any election conducted pursuant to this chapter shall be certified to the Secretary of State, within 30 days after the election returns are canvassed, by the officer then authorized by law to certify proceedings taken by the election commission, board of canvassers, or other body then required by law to canvass and declare the results of elections held in the host county.
(d) One or more subsequent elections may be requested by the governing body of a Class 1 municipality to be called by the county commission of the host county if the question submitted at the preceding election called pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) does not receive the required majority of the votes cast by voters of both the host county and the commission municipal jurisdiction; provided, however, that not more than one election in each calendar year may be requested to be called pursuant to said subsection (a) or (b) by the governing body of any Class 1 municipality. Any such subsequent election shall be called, advertised, conducted, and the results thereof canvassed and declared in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as the preceding election called pursuant to said subsection (a) or (b), as the case may be.

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