Alabama's crossover voting ban is in effect for the upcoming election cycle.

What does that mean for voters?

In the simplest terms, it means whatever party primary a voter participates in, they have to stay with that party in the event on a runoff. If you participate in the Republican primary, you can participate in a GOP runoff; if you voted in the Democratic primary, you can cast a ballot in the Democratic runoff.

No crossing over from primary to runoff.

Gov. Kay Ivey signed the crossover voting ban law in 2017. At the time, Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, said the bill "helps the Democrats choose Democratic candidate" and helps "Republicans choose Republican candidates."

Alabama Democrats have long had a party rule prohibiting crossover voting but there was nothing to prevent other party members from participating in the Republican runoff. The rule requires independent voters to choose a party in the primary and stay with that party through the runoff.

If you didn't vote in either party primary, you're free to vote in the runoff of your choosing. The crossover rule only applies to those who cast a ballot in the primary and any subsequent runoffs; there is no requirement to stay with a particular party in the general election.

After the October special U.S. Senate election, Secretary of State John Merrill said his office had identified 674 cases in which people voted in the Democratic primary election on Aug. 15, 2017 and then crossed over to vote in the Republican runoff election on Sept. 26, 2017. A later review found most of the voters in question were on the wrong list. One-hundred-forty instances of crossover voting were confirmed but none were deemed necessary by local probate judges to investigate further or pursue prosecution, Merrill's office said.