2026 election

Voting in Alabama

Primary

Held

Tuesday, May 19

General

Tuesday, November 3

Register online by: October 19, 11:59pm
Register by mail by: October 19
Register in person by: October 19 close of business
Request a mail ballot by: October 27
Mailed ballot must arrive by: November 3, 12pm
Or drop it off by: November 2 close of business

See every race and candidate on your Alabama ballot, and where each one stands, before you vote.

Plan your ballot →

How to cast your ballot

By mail

You need one of these reasons:

I expect to be out of the county or the state on election day.
I am physically incapacitated and will not be able to vote in person on election day.
I have a physical illness or infirmity which prevents my attendance at the polls. I am unable to access my assigned polling place due to a neurological, musculoskeletal, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, or other life-altering disorder that affects my ability to perform manual tasks, stand for any length of time, walk unassisted, see, hear or speak and: a) I am an elderly voter aged 65 or older; or b) I am a voter with a disability.
I expect to work a shift which has at least ten (10) hours that coincide with the polling hours at my regular polling place.
I am enrolled as a student at an educational institution located outside the county of my personal residence and am therefore unable to vote at my usual polling place on election day.
I am a member of, or a spouse or dependent of a member of, the Armed Forces of the United States or am otherwise similarly qualified to vote absentee pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, 52 U.S.C. § 20302.
I have been appointed as an election officer at a polling place which is not my regular polling place.
I am 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.
I am currently incarcerated in prison or jail and have not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude.

Request a ballot Track your ballot The rules Where to drop it off

In person

Polls open on election day: 7am – 7pm
Early voting: Not offered — vote on election day or by mail

What counts as ID

You will need to show photo ID to vote in Alabama.

Acceptable forms of valid photo ID include:

Alabama driver's license (may be expired up to 60 days)
Alabama non-driver's ID card (may be expired up to 60 days)
Alabama photo voter ID card
Photo ID card issued by Alabama or any other state (examples include:
AL Department of Corrections Release - Temporary ID,
AL Movement/Booking Sheet from Prison/Jail System, or
a pistol permit)
Federal government-issued ID
US passport
Employee ID card issued by the federal government, the State of Alabama, county, municipality, board or other entity in Alabama
Student or employee ID from a public or private college or university in Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools) or student or employee ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state
US military ID
Tribal ID

Voters without ID:

If you are unable to provide ID, you will be able to vote a provisional ballot. In order for your ballot to be counted, you must provide your ID, including your address and your telephone number, to the board of registrars no later than 5:00 P.M. on the Friday following the election. If you fail to provide ID to the board of registrars by that time, your ballot will not be counted.

In addition, voters who do not show valid photo ID at the polls can vote a regular ballot if they are positively identified by two election officials as a voter on the poll list who is eligible to vote and the election officials sign a sworn affidavit.

Find your polling place

Before you can vote

Registering

Ways to register:

Who can register, and what you need

To register in Alabama you must:

be a United States citizen
be a resident of Alabama and your county at the time of registration
be 18 years old on or before Election Day
have not been convicted of a disqualifying felony (or have had rights restored). You can find the list of disqualifying felonies on the Secretary of State’s website at sos.alabama.gov/mtfelonies
have not been legally declared "mentally incompetent" by a court
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"

Check if you are registered Register

Which primary can you vote in?

You are NOT required to register with a party to participate in Alabama primary elections. However, you must declare a political party preference to receive that party’s primary ballot when you vote. If you do not wish to select a party when voting, you can vote on nonpartisan contests or measures, if there are any.

Also on the calendar

Local elections in parts of Alabama. Only voters in the place named take part.

September 1 Montgomery, city council district 3

Also voted on May 19: Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, Pennsylvania.

Dates, deadlines and rules come from DemocracyWorks, last refreshed August 27, 2026; poll hours from our own election guide. Rules change — check with your election office before you rely on a date.