Voting & Elections Toolkits

Important Dates

• Primary Election:  March 5, 2024
• Primary Runoff: April 16, 2024
• Deadline to register to vote: 15 days prior to the election
• Deadline to request absentee ballot: October 31, 2024
• Deadline to return completed absentee ballot: November 5, 2024 - 12:00pm
• General Election:  November 5, 2024

     All upcoming election dates.

    General information and application forms. 

Opening/closing dates

• The deadline to submit an absentee ballot application by hand is the 5th day prior to the election. (7 days by mail.)

  EMERGENCY ABSENTEE VOTING applications can be made after the absentee deadline but no later than 5 PM on the day before the election, if the voter:

  • is required by an employer under unforeseen circumstances to be unavailable at the polls on the day of the election
  • is a caregiver of a person who requires emergency treatment by licensed physician within five days before an election
  • has a family member to the second degree of kinship by affinity or consanguinity die within five days before an election
  • MEDICAL EMERGENCY ABSENTEE VOTING applications can be made by a voter who has a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician within 5 days of an election.  During that 5 day period, the medical emergency absentee ballot application and the voted absentee ballot must be returned no later than noon on the day the election is held. The medical emergency absentee ballot application requires that the attending physician describe and certify the circumstances as constituting an emergency.  The voter may designate someone to turn in the medical emergency absentee ballot application, receive the absentee ballot on behalf of the voter, and return the voted absentee ballot to the Absentee Election Manager on behalf of the voter. 

• Absentee ballot application

  To obtain an absentee ballot, write or visit the local Absentee Election Manager (usually the Circuit Clerk), request an absentee ballot, and provide the following:

  • name and residential address (or other such information in order to verify voter registration)
  • a copy of your valid photo identification
  • election for which the ballot is requested
  • reason for absence from polls on election day
  • party choice, if the election is a party primary. (It is not necessary to give a party choice for a general election; however, in a party primary a voter may participate in only one political party's primary; thus a choice must be designated so that the appropriate ballot can be provided. If the voter declines or fails to designate a choice for a primary or primary runoff ballot, the absentee election manager may send only the ballot for constitutional amendments.)
  • address to which the ballot should be mailed
  • voter signature (If a mark is made in place of a signature, it must be witnessed)
• Ballot Procedure
  • Seal the ballot in the plain envelope
  • Place the plain envelope inside the accompanying affidavit envelope
  • Seal the affidavit envelope and complete the affidavit that is on the outside of the envelope
  • Sign the affidavit and have the signature witnessed by either a notary public or two witnesses 18 years of age or older

  • WITNESSES OR NOTARIZATION 
    An absentee ballot cannot be counted unless the affidavit is notarized or has the signatures of two witnesses.

    The voter has only the following legal ways to return the absentee ballot:

  • forwards the absentee ballot by U.S. Mail
  • forwards the absentee ballot by commercial carrier
  • personally hands the absentee ballot to the absentee election manager (or delivers by a designee in the case of emergency absentee voting)

• The absentee ballot comes with three envelopes -- one plain (the secrecy envelope), one with an affidavit, or oath, printed on the outside, and one plain envelope, pre-addressed (the outer envelope). Once the voter casts the ballot, the procedure is as follows:

• VOTING DEADLINE 
  An absentee ballot returned by mail must be postmarked no later than the day prior to the election and received by the Absentee Election Manager no later than noon on election day. If hand-delivered, the ballot must be in the office of the Absentee Election Manager by the close of business (but no later than 5 p.m.) on the day prior to the election.

Military voters and voters who reside outside the U.S.

• Military and overseas voters may now choose to receive their ballots for Federal offices either electronically, by regular U.S. mail, or by commercial carrier. Instructions for UOCAVA Voters.

  Alabama citizens who are members of the Uniformed Services and their family members, merchant marine, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Alabama overseas citizens can find additional information on how to vote absentee from the Alabama Secretary of State.

• For statewide elections, absentee ballot applications and completed absentee ballots should be hand delivered or mailed to the Absentee Election Manager for your county.

• The Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) is the primary form for obtaining an absentee ballot. Request the FPCA as early as possible from any of the sources listed above. One FPCA will suffice for both primary and general election ballots in federal elections. When you receive your absentee ballot, cast your vote(s) and return the ballot without delay.

  The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is a back-up ballot that can be used by Uniformed Services members on active duty, members of the merchant marine, and their spouses or dependents under the Uniform and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which applies to general elections for Federal offices. You can use this FWAB whether you are located inside or outside the United States (including APO and FPO addresses), provided that you are away from your voting residence for service-related activities. You must apply for a regular ballot early enough for your local election officials to receive the request at least 5 DAYS before the election. Then if you do not receive your regular ballot in time, you may use the FWAB. Your FWAB must be postmarked no later than Election Day and received by your local voting official in Alabama no later than noon on the seventh day after Election Day.

  Your Unit Voting Assistance Officer can assist you with this and other voting procedures or problems.

In order to apply for and receive an absentee ballot, you must meet one of the following requirements:

• EXPECTS TO BE ABSENT FROM THE COUNTY on election day
• IS ILL OR HAS A PHYSICAL DISABILITY that prevents a trip to the polling place
• IS PHYSICALLY INCAPACITATED AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO VOTE IN PERSON BECAUSE THEY CANNOT ACCESS THEIR ASSIGNED POLLING PLACE DUE TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING DISABILITIES (neurological, musculoskeletal, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, or other life-altering disorder that affects his or her ability to perform manual tasks, stand for any length of time, walk unassisted, see, hear or speak) AND: A) HE OR SHE IS AN ELDERLY VOTER AGED 65 OR OLDER; OR B) HE OR SHE IS A VOTER WITH A DISABILITY
• IS A REGISTERED ALABAMA 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
• IS AN APPOINTED ELECTION OFFICER OR POLL WATCHER at a polling place other than his or her regular polling place
• EXPECTS TO WORK A REQUIRED SHIFT, 10-HOURS OR MORE, that coincides with polling hours
• IS A CAREGIVER for a family member to the second degree of kinship by affinity or consanguinity and the family member is confined to his or her home
• IS CURRENTLY INCARCERATED in prison or jail and has not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude

Application for Absentee Ballot

Polling places and hours

• Use the Polling Place Locator to find your polling place.
• Locate Your Polling Place - on Alabama Secretary of State website
• For a general election or primary, polls in Alabama are open from  7:00am to 7:00pm - (note: per the 2024 Voter Guide, polling places in the Eastern time zone may be open from 7:00am to 7:00pm Eastern time)
• Time off to vote (from FindLaw)

Rides to the polls

Many organizations offer free rides to polling places.  Check your local newspaper or broadcast news station for these organizations.

Help for voters with disabilities

• If you have a permanent disability, you may be eligible to apply for an absentee ballot on an annual basis, per the 2024 Voter Guide.
• At every polling place, there will be voting equipment to accommodate voters with disabilities so that they can vote without assistance. If your specific disability is not accommodated, please contact your county's Probate Judge or the Secretary of State. [per the 2024 Voter Guide]
• A polling official may allow a voter who is physically disabled or who is over the age of 70 to move to the front of the line at a polling place upon the request of the voter [per the 2024 Voter Guide].

Ballots

Where to get more info on candidates - League of Women Voters; local newspapers (daily and weekly)

Referenda

Sample ballots - COMING SOON

• 2024, March 5
• 2024, Nov. 5th - General election. Consider checking Ballotpedia , as Alabama has lists, in separate files, of: Democratic, Republican, and Independent candidates for President, Senator, House of Representatives, Public Service Commission, State Board of Education, Circuit Judges, and District Judges

Librarians from the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT), a Round Table of the American Library Association (ALA), created these reference guides. These guides are intended for informational purposes only and are not in any way intended to be legal advice.

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