Alabama Voting Guide

When it’s time to vote, Alabamians should stay informed about the latest changes to Alabama‘s voter laws. Alabama recently passed legislation addressing voting rights and ensuring integrity in Alabama elections.

The most recent law, SB1, limits assistance with absentee ballot applications. The law prevents most non-family members from helping disabled or impaired voters order, complete, or deliver these applications. A federal court injunction currently blocks portions of the law that would make it a criminal offense for non-family caregivers to help with completing the applications. SB1 remains in litigation, and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has requested guidance from the Alabama Supreme Court.

Your Rights as an Alabama Voter

Alabama voters have the right to vote in all elections, unless a court has suspended their voting rights. Alabama voters have specific rights when casting their votes at the polls, whether for a local election or a presidential election. In Alabama, you have the:

• Right to vote if you’re in line when polls close
• Right to request a replacement ballot if you make a mistake
• Right to ask questions of poll workers
• Right to vote free from intimidation
• Right to bring written materials for reference
• Right to bring minor children into the voting booth
• Right to request assistance if you need it (within legal limits)

Unlike some states, Alabama permits wearing political clothing (t-shirts, campaign buttons) into the polling place, although open electioneering is not permitted. You can take a camera into the poll and photograph your own ballot. You are not permitted to take pictures or videos of other people inside the polling place.

Alabama Voter Eligibility

Eligible voters in Alabama must meet these qualifications:

• Be 18 years old on election day: You can register to vote while you are 17, but you must be 18 on election day
• Be a U.S. citizen: Naturalized citizens may vote, but legal permanent residents cannot
• Be a resident of the state of Alabama: There is no residency requirement, but recent arrivals to Alabama must register to vote in the state

Some people are ineligible to vote in Alabama. These include:

• Those deemed mentally incompetent by a court
• Those convicted of violent felony crimes (murder, rape, or robbery) or crimes of “moral turpitude,” such as nonviolent sexual offenses or theft.

The specific crimes that cause loss of voting rights are defined by Alabama law. If you have questions about your eligibility based on a criminal conviction, you should check with your county board of registrars or consult an attorney.

When voting rights are lost due to a criminal conviction, you may become eligible to have your rights restored. Submit an application for the restoration of your voting rights​. Not all convictions are eligible for rights restoration. If you have been adjudicated incompetent, a judge can restore your rights by court order.

Voter Registration Deadlines

Registration is open until 14 days before any election. If you plan to vote in a primary election, you must have your registration in the board of registrars’ office not later than two weeks before the day of the election. You can find a list of all upcoming elections on the Alabama Secretary of State​ website.

If you plan to mail in your registration, allow at least one additional week for mailing. If you miss the deadline, you must wait until the following election to vote. You can also register at government offices and military recruiting centers.

Absentee Ballots

Absentee ballots allow people who are unable or unavailable on election day to vote with a ballot sent to them ahead of time. In Alabama, you may vote using an absentee ballot​ if you meet any of these criteria:

• You expect to be away from the United States on election day, including military personnel stationed overseas, U.S. citizens living abroad, members of the armed forces, their spouses or dependents, and students attending school outside their country of residence
• You are ill or have a physical disability that prevents you from voting in person or accessing your assigned polling place
• You are a registered voter in Alabama but live outside your county of residence
• You are a poll worker or an appointed election officer at a polling location outside your regular polling place.
• You expect to work a required shift with at least 10 hours covering the usual voting hours and cannot travel to your polling location within the hour provided by law
• You are a caregiver of a person or a family member confined to their home
• You are in prison or jail and were not convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude

Other situations may apply.

How Do I Get an Absentee Ballot?

You can visit or write to your county’s Absentee Election Manager, usually the Circuit Clerk, to request an absentee ballot​.

You will need to provide:

• Name and residential address
• Copy of an Alabama voter photo ID
• Which election you would like to vote in
• The reason why you can’t make it to the polls
• Party choice, if the election is a party primary. Failing to designate a choice for a primary or primary runoff may result in receiving a ballot for constitutional amendments only
• Address where they should mail the absentee ballot
• Your original signature (electronic signatures are not accepted, and if the signer must make a mark, it must be witnessed)

The office of the Absentee Election Manager must receive your absentee ballot application​ at least seven days before an election. If you hand-deliver your application, the office must receive it at least five days before an election. County officials may refuse to accept absentee-ballot applications delivered by anyone other than the voter, a close family member, or a designated caregiver.

Absentee Ballot Legislation SB 1

SB 1 is still under litigation. This law, intended to prevent “ballot harvesting” and other alleged forms of election fraud, would criminalize giving a pre-filled ballot application to an applicant for their signature, or delivering an absentee ballot or application by anyone other than the applicant. It would also criminalize taking any form of “payment or gift” for assisting individuals with their application or ballot.

Several organizations filed suit against the state, arguing that the law did not provide clear exceptions for family members and licensed caregivers of voters who are blind, disabled, or otherwise need assistance with their paperwork. The lawsuit asked for clarification on whether, for example, a paid worker would break the law if they helped a client by sealing their application and taking it to the mailbox if they could not.

The 11th Circuit Court could not rule on the matter, finding it “vague” and requiring further clarification from the Alabama Supreme Court before it could certify the matter. As of this writing, the criminal penalties are suspended, and disabled individuals may request assistance from their caregivers.

Election Day in Alabama

Alabama has a closed primary (or “partisan primary”) system. Voters must choose a party to vote for in the primary elections if they wish to vote in the general elections in the fall. This is true for in-person and absentee voting.

If the board of registrars received your registration by the deadline, you should receive a sample ballot at your home address. If not, the Alabama Voter Guide​ is available at the Secretary of State’s office website. You may bring a sample ballot to your polling place, along with any other material you need to assist with voting.

Alabama voters must bring a valid photo ID to the polls. You can find a complete list​ of acceptable forms at the Alabama Secretary of State‘s website. If you do not have any of these, you may obtain a free Alabama Photo Voter ID at the same location.

Most Alabama voters will have at least one of these IDs:

• Valid Alabama driver’s license, including an Alabama law enforcement agency digital driver’s license
• Valid Alabama Non-Driver ID
• Valid Military ID or U.S. passport
• Valid U.S. Passport
• Valid Tribal ID
• Valid employee ID (federal, state, county, city)
• Valid student or employee ID from any university or college
• Valid state-issued ID (i.e., valid pistol permit)
• Alabama free Photo Voter ID card

A voter without a photo ID can vote if their name appears on the voter registration list, and if two election officials can positively identify them. If none of these apply, you may still vote with a provisional ballot.

Time Off To Vote

Alabama law requires employers to give employees up to one hour of paid time off when their work schedules do not allow them to reach the polls. Employees who need time off must give reasonable notice. If the employee’s work time begins two hours after the polls open or ends at least one hour before the polls close, then employers do not have to provide time off. Employers may determine when employees may take time off to vote.

Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Anyone still in line at 7:00 p.m. can cast their ballot, but poll workers may refuse to allow people to join the line after the polls close.

Provisional Ballots

All Alabama voters may vote in local and federal elections with a provisional ballot if there are issues with their registration or their eligibility is questioned. Election officials cannot refuse any citizen their right to cast a ballot.

If you ask for a provisional ballot and do not have a valid ID, you must do the following:

• Sign an affidavit that you are eligible to vote in this election
• If you are eligible, you will receive a provisional ballot with instructions on how to use it.
• Once you return your ballot, you must submit a valid photo ID to the Board of Registrars by 5 p.m. on the Friday following the election. Otherwise, your vote will not count.

If you have already applied for an absentee ballot, you may be ineligible to vote in this election. The officials will examine your situation and explain why you might not be able to vote.

Absentee provisional ballots are available. The ID requirement is different and requires a notary or witnesses, as well as a copy of the photo ID. You can verify your provisional ballot status​ at the Secretary of State’s website.

Absentee In-Person Voting

Some states offer early voting, allowing voters to cast ballots days or even weeks in advance of the election. Alabama now offers “absentee in-person voting.” Similar to ordinary absentee voting, this system permits you to receive, complete, and submit an absentee ballot in a single visit to the county election manager’s office.

You may visit your county absentee election manager’s office during regular business hours starting when absentee ballots become available, typically several weeks before election day. You must still meet one of the excuse requirements and must have a photo ID available.

Polling Site Accommodations

Voters with disabilities​ should be able to access polling places in Alabama. Polling places in Alabama provide equipment to accommodate voters with disabilities so they can vote without assistance. If your polling place does not accommodate your disability, you may contact your county’s probate judge.

Permanently disabled voters who cannot make it to the polls because of their disability can apply for a disabled voter absentee ballot​. If approved, the voter is mailed a disabled voter absentee ballot. Voters must renew their application each year and will need a separate application for local and municipal elections.

Illegal Activity and Electioneering at the Polls

Alabama has looser restrictions around the polls than many states. Alabama voters can expect to see candidates campaigning to the bitter end at polling locations, as well as signs and campaign workers standing outside the polls. Voters can wear their candidate’s t-shirts into the polling place, and take photos of their own ballot before casting it.

Election officials cannot wear merchandise or clothing with campaign slogans. They can assist disabled individuals in accessing the polls or polling equipment, but may not attempt to influence their vote.

Other illegal activities include:

• Standing or loitering closer than 30 feet to the entrance of the polling place
• Attempting to alter a ballot or influence anyone in their attempt to cast a ballot
• Interference with voters or election officials

Alabama does not expressly forbid firearms or other weapons at polling stations. If the location itself prohibits firearms on other days, you cannot bring them on Election Day. For instance, if the polling station is in a school, and the school is a gun-free zone, then voters cannot bring their gun to the polls, even if they have a valid concealed-carry license.

If You Witness Possible Illegal Activity

If you see what appears to be unlawful electioneering or ballot tampering, do not attempt to intervene on your own. Depending on the nature of the activity, you should:

• Report the activity to the election officials as quickly as possible
• Notify law enforcement officers of any outside activity, such as intimidation on the street
• Report wrongdoing by election officials, such as abuse of discretion or ballot tampering, to the Alabama State Elections Office​
• Report campaign finance abuses​ to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office via the Secretary of State.

Reports can be filed in the following ways:

• File online through the Alabama Online Election Complaint Form​
• Call the Alabama Secretary of State toll-free: 1-800-274-VOTE (8683)
• File your allegations via fax using fax number: (334) 242-2444
• Mail your allegation to the Voter Fraud Unit of the Office of the Secretary of State using a printable form

Keep in mind that knowingly filing a false election fraud claim ​can be charged as a crime or leave you facing a civil lawsuit.

Concerns About Your Voting Rights in Alabama? Speak With an Attorney

As an American citizen, your right to vote is guaranteed. If your personal voting rights were violated, contact an Alabama civil rights attorney​ to discuss the legal actions you can take.