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Source: Wikipedia

Elections in Alabama are authorized under the Alabama State Constitution, which establishes elections for the state level officers, cabinet, and legislature, and the election of county-level officers, including members of school boards.

The office of the Alabama Secretary of State has an Elections Division that oversees the execution of elections under state law.

Registering to Vote

General Information

Who can register

To register to vote in Alabama you must:

• be a citizen of the United States;
• be a resident of Alabama and your county at the time of registration;
• be 18 years old before any election;
• not have been convicted of a felony punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary (or have had your civil and political rights restored);
• not currently be declared mentally incompetent through a competency hearing;
• swear or affirm to “support and defend the Constitution of the US and the State of Alabama and further disavow any belief or affiliation with any group which advocates the overthrow of the governments of the US or the State of Alabama by unlawful means and that the information contained herein is true, so help me God”; and
• not have been convicted of treason or impeachment. If you have been convicted for murder, rape, sodomy, sexual abuse, sexual torture, enticing a child to enter a vehicle for immoral purposes, soliciting a child by computer, production of obscene matter, parents or guardians permitting children to engage in obscene matter, possession of obscene matter, or possession with intent to distribute child pornography, you must receive a pardon before voting. If you have been convicted of another felony that is listed as a crime of moral turpitude, you must seek a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote. If you have another felony (such as a DUI), you ARE eligible to vote.

How to Register 

1. Use our Register to Vote Tool below to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
2. Sign and date your form. This is very important!
3. Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
4. Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.

Election Day registration

N/A

Voting Rights restoration

If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.

New Registration (Form)

Registration Status (Form)

Voting

General Information

Primary Elections

Alabama has open primaries. Voters do not register with a particular party, but a voter who participates in one party’s primary may only vote in that party’s primary runoff election. If a voter did not participate in a party’s primary election, then they may choose either party’s ballot in a primary runoff election. 17-year-olds cannot vote in the primary election even if they will be 18 by the corresponding general election.

Alabama Primary Runoff Election
Jul 14, 2020
Early Voting: Not available
In-Person Absentee Voting: Not available

Voting as a Student

Learn more from Campus Vote Project about voting for students.

Overseas Voting

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

Voting with Disabilities

Any voter who wishes to have assistance is entitled to help. You may ask anyone (except your employer, an agent of the employer, or an officer or agent of the voter’s union) to provide that assistance for you. If you do not request a specific individual, a poll worker may assist you at your request. Polling places should be accessible to people with disabilities. If your specific disability is not accommodated, please contact your county’s board of elections.

For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People with Disabilities resource.

Early Voting

Early voting is not available.

Vote by Mail (Absentee)

Absentee rules

You may vote by absentee ballot in Alabama if:

• you will be absent from the county on Election Day
• you are ill or have a physical disability that prevents a trip to the polling place
• you are a registered Alabama voter who is temporarily living outside the county (such as a member of the armed forces, a voter employed outside of the United States, a college student, or a spouse or child of such a person)
• you are an appointed election officer or poll watcher at a polling place other than your regular polling place
• you work a required shift – 10 hours or more – that coincides with polling hours

How to get Absentee ballot

1. Use the Absentee Ballot Form below to prepare your application.
2. Sign and date the form. This is very important!
3. Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
4. All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
5. Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
6. Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.

What to do next

1. Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
2. Provide a copy of an acceptable form of photo ID with your voted ballot. (You must provide a copy of one of the forms of ID listed when you mail back your voted absentee ballot.)
3. Sign and date where indicated.
4. Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
5. Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.

Deadlines

Postmarked 1 day before Election Day, received by noon on Election Day

Absentee Ballot (Form)

Elections Alert (Form)

Polling Place Information

Polling Place Locator

You can find your polling place by utilizing this tool.

The board of registrars sends a certificate of registration to you that includes the address of your polling place. If you do not receive your certificate, or if you have further questions regarding your polling place location, contact

Polling Place Hours

Polling places are open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Poll Worker Information

In order to be a poll worker, you must:

• Be registered to vote in Alabama
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be a resident of the precinct
• State your political affiliation
• Complete the required training

You will be entitled to compensation. To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

Beginning in 2019, students may be eligible to work as unpaid poll worker interns on Election Day. You must be at least 16 years old at the time of the election, and be a junior or higher in High School. Click here for more information!

State Board of Elections

Secretary of State

Source: Government website

John Harold Merrill is the son of Mary Merrill and the late Judge Horace Merrill of Heflin, Alabama, in Cleburne County. He was born on November 12, 1963, in Wedowee, Ala., in Randolph County. He grew up in Heflin and is an Eagle Scout from Heflin Troop 206. He is a graduate of Cleburne County High School and The University of Alabama, where he served as President of the Student Government Association in 1986-1987.

While attending The University, John served as a Congressional Intern for Congressman Bill Nichols in 1983 and Senator Howell Heflin in 1984. After college, John worked as a governmental affairs intern at the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama in 1987-88; National Advertising Account Executive and Manager for Randall (now Randall-Reilly) Publishing Company from 1988-90; Assistant Director for the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority from 1990-93 where he assisted in the recruitment of Mercedes-Benz; Director of Business Development for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama in 1993-94; Director of Community Relations and Community Education for the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education from 1994-2010; and served as Business Development Officer for 1st Federal Bank in Tuscaloosa from 2011-2015.John Harold Merrill is the son of Mary Merrill and the late Judge Horace Merrill of Heflin, Alabama, in Cleburne County. He was born on November 12, 1963, in Wedowee, Ala., in Randolph County. He grew up in Heflin and is an Eagle Scout from Heflin Troop 206. He is a graduate of Cleburne County High School and The University of Alabama, where he served as President of the Student Government Association in 1986-1987.

On Nov. 2, 2010, John was elected to represent the people of District 62 in the State House of Representatives with 87 percent of the vote, which was the highest percentage garnered by a candidate in any contested House race that year. He served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the House Republican Caucus and was a member of the powerful Rules Committee, Economic Development and Tourism, and Constitution, Campaigns, and Elections Committees.

Ballot Measures

Source: Ballotpedia