Who is running for State Senator, District 17 in 2026?

Alabama State Senator, District 17

Shay Shelnutt has represented District 17 in the Alabama Senate since November 2014¹. He holds a bachelor's degree in business finance and a master's in math education from the University of Montevallo and has worked as a high school teacher and coach, a community college instructor, and in real estate and business development¹. He is unopposed on the November 3, 2026 ballot².

Where they stand 17 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorshigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • Sponsored SB184, the Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, which made it a felony to provide puberty blockers, hormones or surgery to a minor to alter gender. (2022-02-23) source
  • Said the bill was about protecting vulnerable children from life-altering medical procedures that could leave a child sterile. (2022-02-24) source
  • Voted for SB184 on third reading (roll call 383), which made it a felony to provide puberty blockers, hormones or surgery to a minor to alter gender (passed 24 to 6). (2022-02-23) source
• Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for HB391 on third reading (roll call 1008), which requires K-12 public school sports teams to be based on biological sex (passed 25 to 5). (2021-04-15) source
  • Voted for HB261 on third reading (roll call 550), which extended the biological-sex rule for sports teams to public colleges (passed 26 to 4). (2023-05-03) source
• Election rulesStrict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for SB1 on third reading (roll call 28), 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 27 to 8). (2024-02-13) source
  • Was the lead sponsor of SB268, which would make prefilling a voter registration or absentee ballot application a felony; it did not become law. (2022-03-01) source
  • Voted for SB142 on third reading (roll call 758), which removed the Electronic Registration Information Center as a source for finding voters whose addresses changed (passed 25 to 5). (2025-04-17) source
  • Voted for HB285 on third reading (roll call 1456), which banned curbside voting and required voting machines to stay inside polling places (passed 25 to 6). (2021-05-17) source
• School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familymedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for HB129, the CHOOSE Act (roll call 180), 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 23 to 9). (2024-03-06) source
• DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for SB129 on third reading (roll call 69), which bars public universities, K-12 schools and state agencies from funding diversity, equity and inclusion offices and programs (passed 26 to 7). (2024-02-22) source
• Religion in schoolsSupport laws requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms and optional prayer periodsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for SB99 on final passage (roll call 979), which requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in grade 5 through 12 classrooms and common areas when donated posters are available (passed 28 to 6). (2026-03-31) source
• Kids onlineRequire app stores and platforms to verify age and get parental consentmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for SB187 on final passage (roll call 749), which would require app stores to verify users' ages and get parental consent before minors download apps (passed 26 to 6; the bill later died in the House). (2025-04-17) source
• Qualified immunityYes, and strengthen it by writing it into law and covering officers' legal costsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Was listed as a cosponsor of SB129, which would have replaced officer immunity law with a broader statutory protection for law enforcement officers; it did not become law. (2025-02-06) source
• AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestlow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted for final passage of HB314 (roll call 719), which made performing an abortion a felony with an exception for a serious health risk to the mother and no exception for rape or incest (passed 25 to 6). (2019-05-14) source
  • Was listed as a cosponsor of SB211, the 2019 Senate abortion ban, which would make abortion a felony except to prevent a serious health risk to the mother; it did not become law (HB314 passed instead). (2019-04-02) source
• GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightlow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted for HB272 on third reading (roll call 480), which allows carrying a concealed handgun without a permit (passed 23 to 6). (2022-03-03) source
• School vaccinesKeep requirements with simple personal-belief exemptionslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted for SB85 on final passage (roll call 493), which would let parents claim a religious exemption from school vaccine requirements without stating a reason and extend the exemption to college students (passed 26 to 5; the bill later died in the House). (2025-04-03) source
• Paid leaveEncourage paid leave with tax credits, but do not require itlow

  Official action · low confidence

  • Was the lead sponsor of SB84, which would let insurers offer paid family leave benefit policies to employers and employees; it passed the Senate but did not become law. (2023-03-21) source
• MarijuanaNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted for SB236 on third reading (roll call 683), which created a state medical marijuana program for patients with qualifying conditions (passed 17 to 6). (2019-05-09) source
  • Voted against SB46 on third reading (roll call 251), which created a state medical cannabis program (passed 20 to 10). (2021-02-24) source
• ImmigrationNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted for SB53 on third reading (roll call 96), 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 24 to 8). (2025-02-13) source
  • Voted for SB63 (roll call 86), which requires law enforcement to collect DNA and fingerprints from people in custody who are in the country illegally (passed 24 to 7). (2025-02-13) source
• China policyNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted for the Senate version of HB379 (roll call 856), which bars the governments of China, Iran, North Korea and Russia and entities they control from acquiring real property in Alabama (passed 26 to 7). (2023-05-18) source
• RedistrictingNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted for SB5 on third reading (roll call 10), the congressional district map the Legislature drew after a federal court ordered a redraw (passed 24 to 8). (2023-07-19) source
• Business regulationNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted for SB71 on final passage (roll call 229), which bars state agencies from adopting environmental rules stricter than federal requirements (passed 27 to 7). (2026-02-03) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Healthcare, Energy and climate, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Student loans, AI regulation, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate.