Who is running for State Representative, District 16 (Alabama House District 16, Alabama) in 2026?
Here are the candidates for State Representative, District 16 on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in Alabama House District 16.
Positions come only from each candidate's own votes, official actions, statements and questionnaire answers, never from party labels. Every item links to its source.
Side by side
Each candidate's position on the issues this office handles, from their own record. Details and sources are in each profile below.
| Issue | Bryan BrinyarkRepublican | Christian MartinDemocrat |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | No public position | Keep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is brokenSaid · low |
| Abortion | No public position | Illegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestSaid · low |
| Guns | No public position | Add universal background checks and red-flag lawsSaid · low |
| School choice | Yes, universal school choice for every familyVoted · medium | No, keep public money in traditional public schoolsSaid · low |
| Policing and crime | No public position | Major reform: much less incarceration and a smaller role for policeSaid · low |
| Election rules | Strict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotsSaid · medium | No public position |
| Marijuana | No public position | Decriminalize small amounts (fines, not jail)Said · medium |
| Ranked-choice voting | No, ban ranked-choice voting in all electionsVoted · medium | No public position |
| Qualified immunity | Yes, and strengthen it by writing it into law and covering officers' legal costsVoted · medium | No public position |
| Childcare and pre-K | No public position | Offer free pre-K to every 4-year-old, and expand childcare aidSaid · medium |
| DEI programs | Ban DEI offices and required training at public institutionsVoted · medium | No single answer fits; see evidence |
| Religion in schools | Support laws requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms and optional prayer periodsVoted · medium | No public position |
Bryan Brinyark
Republican · IncumbentAlabama State Representative, District 16
Bryan Brinyark has represented District 16, which covers parts of Tuscaloosa, Jefferson and Fayette counties, in the Alabama House since winning a special election and taking office January 10, 202412. A University of Alabama law graduate, he is a partner at Brinyark & Frederick and has served as a municipal judge for Centreville since 200513. He faces Democrat Christian Martin on the November 3, 2026 ballot4.
Where they stand 9 issues · tap any issue for the evidence
School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familymedium
Voted · medium confidence- Voted for HB129, the CHOOSE Act (roll call 131), which created education savings accounts of up to 7,000 dollars per student for private school and other education costs, open to all families starting in the 2027-28 school year (passed 69 to 34). (2024-02-27) source
- His campaign site says he co-sponsored bills allowing for school choice. (2026) source
DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsmedium
Voted · medium confidence- Voted for SB129 on final passage (roll call 222), which bars public universities, K-12 schools and state agencies from funding diversity, equity and inclusion offices and programs (passed 75 to 28). (2024-03-07) source
Election rulesStrict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotsmedium
Said · medium confidence- Voted for SB1 on final passage (roll call 217), which made it a crime to be paid, or to pay someone, to help a voter fill out or deliver an absentee ballot application (passed 75 to 28). (2024-03-07) source
- His campaign site says he sponsored a bill for the Secretary of State to better secure election voter rolls. (2026) source
- Was the lead sponsor of HB479, which would remove the Electronic Registration Information Center as a source for finding voters whose addresses changed; it passed the House 74 to 28 on April 22, 2025 but did not become law. (2025-04-01) source
Qualified immunityYes, and strengthen it by writing it into law and covering officers' legal costsmedium
Voted · medium confidence- Voted for HB202, the Back the Blue Act (roll call 364), which gives law enforcement officers immunity from civil suits and criminal charges for conduct within their discretionary authority, with exceptions for reckless conduct and constitutional violations (passed 75 to 26). (2025-03-06) source
Ranked-choice votingNo, ban ranked-choice voting in all electionsmedium
Voted · medium confidence- Voted for SB186 on final passage (roll call 1092), which bans ranked-choice voting in Alabama elections (passed 74 to 28). (2024-05-02) source
Religion in schoolsSupport laws requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms and optional prayer periodsmedium
Voted · medium confidence- Voted for HB178 on final passage (roll call 886), which would have required the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public K-12 school common areas (passed 81 to 11; the bill later died in the Senate). (2025-04-17) source
- Voted for SB99 on final passage (roll call 1347), which requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in grade 5 through 12 classrooms and common areas when donated posters are available (passed 81 to 10). (2026-04-09) source
Curriculum and booksNo single answer fitslow
Voted · low confidence- Voted for HB130 on final passage (roll call 734), which would have barred classroom instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation through grade 12 and required staff to use pronouns matching a student's sex (passed 74 to 25; the bill later died in the Senate). (2024-04-23) source
ImmigrationNo single answer fitslow
Voted · low confidence- Voted for SB53 on final passage (roll call 1181), which created state crimes of concealing or smuggling a person in the country illegally and set a process for checking a detainee's immigration status (passed 80 to 18). (2025-05-06) source
Business regulationNo single answer fitslow
Voted · low confidence- Voted for SB71 on final passage (roll call 447), which bars state agencies from adopting environmental rules stricter than federal requirements (passed 68 to 34). (2026-02-17) source
No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Healthcare, Abortion, Guns, Energy and climate, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Death penalty, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, China policy.
Christian Martin
DemocratUniversity of Alabama student
Christian Martin is a 22-year-old University of Alabama senior from Northport majoring in history and theatre and a vice president of the UA College Democrats1. He graduated from Tuscaloosa County High School and comes from a working-class household12. He faces Republican incumbent Bryan Brinyark on the November 3, 2026 ballot3.
Where they stand 10 issues · tap any issue for the evidence
MarijuanaDecriminalize small amounts (fines, not jail)medium
Said · medium confidence- Supports decriminalizing marijuana. (2026-02-02) source
Childcare and pre-KOffer free pre-K to every 4-year-old, and expand childcare aidmedium
Said · medium confidence- Supports universal pre-K and expanding child care tax credits. (2026-02-02) source
HealthcareKeep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is brokenlow
AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestlow
Said · low confidence- Describes himself as pro-life but opposes Alabama's current ban and supports exceptions for victims of sexual assault. (2026-02-02) source
GunsAdd universal background checks and red-flag lawslow
Said · low confidence- Describes himself as a gun owner who is pretty pro-gun, opposes assault weapon bans, and supports mental health screening and mandatory safety education. (2026-02-02) source
Policing and crimeMajor reform: much less incarceration and a smaller role for policelow
Said · low confidence- Supports releasing nonviolent offenders and decriminalizing marijuana. (2026-02-02) source
School choiceNo, keep public money in traditional public schoolslow
Said · low confidence- Criticized Rep. Brinyark for voting to take money out of public schools and put it into voucher programs. (2026-02-02) source
Campaign financeNo single answer fitslow
Said · low confidence- Wants to ban private companies and corporations from donating to campaigns and bar utilities regulated by the Public Service Commission from lobbying or making campaign donations. (2026) source
Student loansNo single answer fitslow
Said · low confidence- Said he wants to explore universal trade school and free community college funding. (2026-02-02) source
DEI programsNo single answer fitslow
Said · low confidence- Said he lobbied against SB129, the state's anti-DEI law, and that it has hurt freedom of speech in the state. (2026-02-02) source
No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Immigration, Energy and climate, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Paid leave, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, Religion in schools, China policy.
Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.