Voting in Alabama

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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, absentee/mail-in and early voting provisions, voter registration requirements, and more, dictate the conditions under which citizens cast their ballots in their individual states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in Alabama:

See Election administration in Alabama for additional information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.

Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.

Voter registration

Eligibility and registration details

Check your voter registration status here.

Alabama requires that an applicant be a citizen of the United States who resides in Alabama. A voter must be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day. A citizen cannot have been barred from registering due to a felony conviction and cannot have been declared mentally incompetent by a court.[1]

Voters cannot register during the 14-day period preceding an election. A citizen can register to vote at the following locations:[1]

  • License branches
  • State or local government offices
  • Public libraries
  • Military recruiting stations
  • County boards of registrars

Prospective voters may also mail in a registration form.


In-person voting

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In Alabama polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time on the date of an election. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[2] According to state law, "[a]ll polling places in areas operating on eastern time shall open and close under this section pursuant to eastern time except the county commissions in Chambers County and Lee County may by resolution provide for any polling place to be excluded from this sentence and to be open according to central time."[3]

Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Alabama requires voters to present photo identification at the polls. The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of March 2023. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Alabama Secretary of State.

“
  • Valid Alabama Driver’s License (not expired or has been expired less than 60 Days)
    • Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Driver’s License
  • Valid Alabama Nondriver ID (not expired or has been expired less than 60 Days)
    • Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Nondriver ID
  • Valid Alabama Photo Voter ID Card
  • Valid State-Issued ID (Alabama or any other state)
    • Valid AL Department of Corrections Release - Temporary ID (Photo Required)
    • Valid AL Movement/Booking Sheet from Prison/Jail System (Photo Required)
    • Valid Pistol Permit (Photo Required)
  • Valid Federal-Issued ID
  • Valid US passport
  • Valid Employee ID from Federal Government, State of Alabama, County, Municipality, Board, or other entity of this state
  • Valid student or employee ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools)
  • Valid student or employee ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state
  • Valid Military ID
  • Valid Tribal ID[4]
 ”

A voter can obtain a free identification card from the Alabama Secretary of State, a county registrar's office, or a mobile location. The mobile location schedule can be accessed here.

A voter must provide a copy of his or her identification with both an application for an absentee ballot and the completed ballot itself, with the exception of 1) voters for whom polling locations are inaccessible due to age or disability, and 2) overseas military members.[5][6]

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Alabama does not permit early voting.

Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

A voter is eligible to vote absentee in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:[7]

  • The voter will be absent from the county on Election Day.
  • The voter is ill or has a disability that prevents a trip to the polling place.
  • The voter is a registered voter living outside the county, such as a member of the armed forces, a voter employed outside the United States, a college student, or a spouse or child of such a person.
  • The voter is an appointed election officer or poll watcher at a polling place other than his or her regular polling place.
  • The voter works a required shift of 10 hours or more that coincides with polling hours.

The absentee ballot application must be received at least five days prior to the election in the above circumstances. In the following circumstances, the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. the day before the election:

  • The voter is required by an employer under unforeseen circumstances to be out of the county on Election Day for an emergency business trip.
  • The voter has a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician.
  • The voter is a caregiver of a person who requires emergency treatment by a licensed physician within five days before an election.
  • The voter has a family member to the second degree of kinship by affinity or consanguinity die within five days before an election.

The absentee ballot must then be returned either in person by close of business the day before the election or by mail. If returned by mail, the ballot must be postmarked no later than the day before the election and received by the election manager by noon on Election Day.[7]


Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for convicted felons

In Alabama, people convicted of a felony involving "moral turpitude," as defined by the state, are disqualified from voting. As of March 2023, Alabama state law identified 48 types of crimes involving moral turpitude. Click here for a complete list. people convicted of a felony listed can apply to the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to have their voting eligibility restored upon completion of sentence, completion of parole or probation, or pardon.

As of March 2023, Alabama state law identified four crimes involving moral turpitude for which people convicted of a felony are permanently disqualified from voting. Click here for a complete list of permanently disqualifying felonies.

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[8]


Election agencies

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See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Alabama can contact the following state and federal agencies.

Alabama Secretary of State, Elections Division

600 Dexter Ave, Suite S-105
Montgomery, Alabama 36130-3008
Telephone: 334-242-7200
Tollfree: 1-800-274-8683

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Telephone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

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See also

Elections in Alabama


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alabama Secretary of State, "Voter Registration General Information," accessed March 1, 2023
  2. ↑ NBC News, "Voters already in line at poll closing can still cast ballots," December 12, 2017
  3. ↑ CBS 42, "Here’s when polls open on Election Day and where your polling place is in Alabama," November 7, 2022
  4. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  5. ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Election Laws, Section 17-10-1," accessed March 1, 2023
  6. ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed March 1, 2023
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Alabama Secretary of State Elections Website, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed August 21, 2019
  8. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
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