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    Voting in Alabama

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    Select a state from the menu below to learn more about its voting policies.

    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:

    Click here for more information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, post-election auditing practices, and additional election policy context.

    For information on this year's elections, click here.

    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[edit]

    Eligibility and registration details[edit]

    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. According to the Alabama Secretary of State's website:[1]

    “

    You may download the State of Alabama Postcard Voter Registration Application from this site. The form can be printed on your printer, filled out, and then mailed into your local voter registration officials. Click here for more information.

    You may also request a postcard voter registration from this office by e-mail. Click here to request a voter registration form.

    Voter registration is also available from your local County Board of Registrars. Click here to get the address and phone number for the board of registrars office in your county.

    You may also obtain voter registration services at the following state and local government offices and agencies:

    • Driver's licensing office
    • County and select municipal public libraries
    • Department of Human Resources
    • WIC Program, Department of Public Health
    • Medicaid Agency
    • Department of Rehabilitation Services

    The postcard voter registration form is also available at:

    • Public 4-year universities
    • Select private 4-year universities
    • Driver's licensing office
    • County and select municipal public libraries
    • Department of Human Resources
    • WIC Program, Department of Public Health
    • Medicaid Agency
    • Department of Rehabilitation Services[2]
    		 ”


    In-person voting[edit]

    Poll times[edit]

    See also: State poll opening and closing times

    In Alabama, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. According to state law, "All 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] An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[4]

    Voter identification[edit]

    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 October 2025. 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)
      • Examples
        • 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)
      • Digital student 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
      • Digital student ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state
    • Valid Military ID
    • Valid Tribal ID[2]
    		 ”

    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.

    Early voting[edit]

    See also: Early voting

    Alabama does not permit early voting.

    Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

    Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.


    Absentee/mail-in voting[edit]

    See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

    A voter is eligible to vote absentee/mail-in in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:[5]

    • 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 voter is a caregiver to a family member to the second degree of kinship who is confined to their home.
    • The voter is incarcerated and has not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude.

    Absentee/mail-in ballot application must be received by the seventh day prior to the election if delivered by mail, and by the fifth day before an election if delivered by hand.

    In the following circumstances, the deadline to apply for an absentee/mail-in 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.

    Alabama also provides for medical emergency absentee/mail-in voting for a voter who has a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician within 5 days of an election. A voted medical emergency absentee/mail-in ballot must be returned no later than noon on election day.[5]


    Local election officials[edit]

    U.S. Vote Foundation Logo.jpeg

    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[edit]

    See also: Voting rights for people convicted of a felony

    In Alabama, people convicted of a felony involving "moral turpitude," as defined by the state, are disqualified from voting. As of July 2024, Alabama state law identified 48 types of crimes involving moral turpitude. Click here for a complete list. Individuals 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 July 2024, 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.[6]



    Election administration agencies[edit]

    Election agencies[edit]

    Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission
    See also: State election agencies

    Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Alabama can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

    Alabama County Boards of Registrars

    Click here for a list

    Alabama Secretary of State, Elections Division

    Physical Address: 600 Dexter Ave, Suite E-208
    Montgomery, Alabama 36130-3008
    Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5616
    Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5616
    Phone: 334-242-7210
    Toll free: 1-800-274-8683
    Fax: 334-242-2444
    Website: https://www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes

    Alabama Ethics Commission

    Physical Address: 100 North Union Street, Suite 104
    Montgomery, Alabama 36104
    Mailing address: P.O. Box 4840
    Montgomery, Alabama 36103-4840
    Phone: 334-242-2997
    Fax: 334-242-0248
    Email: info@ethics.alabama.gov
    Website: https://ethics.alabama.gov

    U.S. Election Assistance Commission

    633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
    Washington, DC 20001
    Phone: 301-563-3919
    Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
    Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
    Website: https://www.eac.gov


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    See also[edit]

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    External links[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alabama Secretary of State, "Voter Registration General Information," accessed July 20, 2024
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    3. ↑ Justia, "Alabama Code § 17-9-6," accessed July 20, 2024
    4. ↑ NAACP Legal Defense Fund, "Alabama Voter Information," accessed July 20, 2024
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Alabama Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed July 21, 2024
    6. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
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