Tue. Nov 5th, 2024

A group of people at voting booths lined up to vote

Voters make selections at their voting booths inside an early voting site on Oct. 17, 2024 in Hendersonville, North Carolina. ( Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

It’s time to choose a president. And many other candidates.

Alabamians go to the polls Tuesday to vote in what could be one of the most consequential elections in the nation’s history. While many races are uncontested, particularly on the State Board of Education and in the state appellate courts, many voters will have decisions to make beyond the nation’s chief executive.

Question about your voter registration status?

You can check your registration status on the Alabama Secretary of State’s website.

Below is a guide to Election Day in Alabama.

When do polls open?

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Where do I find my polling place?

The Alabama Secretary of State’s website allows you to check voter registration and the location of your polling place. You can find it here.

What do I need to vote?

Voters must present a valid photo ID before voting. Valid forms of ID include:

  • Alabama driver’s license (not expired or expired less than 60 days)
  • Alabama Law Enforcement Agency digital driver’s license
  • Alabama Non-Driver ID (not expired or expired less than 60 days)
  • Alabama Photo Voter ID card
  • State-issued ID (Alabama or any other state)
  • Federal-issued ID
  • U.S. Passport
  • Employee ID from the federal government; state of Alabama; county; municipality, board or other entity of Alabama
  • Student or employee ID from a public or private post-secondary educational institution in Alabama or other states (including colleges, universities, postgraduate technical and professional schools)
  • Digital student or employee ID from a public or private post-secondary educational institution in Alabama or other states (including colleges, universities, postgraduate technical and professional schools)
  • Military ID
  • Tribal ID

What if I don’t have an acceptable form of ID?

A voter who does not have a valid form of photo ID on Election Day can vote a regular ballot only if their name appears on the official voters list and they are positively identified by at least two election officials. If the voter does not have a valid form of photo ID and cannot be positively identified by at least two election officials, they are permitted to vote a provisional ballot.

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May I receive voting assistance?

Yes. Any voter who wishes to receive assistance is entitled to it. The voter may ask anyone (except their employer, an agent of the employer, or an officer or agent of the voter’s union) to give that assistance.  If the voter does not request a specific individual, a poll worker may assist the voter at the request of the voter.

Can I take a cell phone or a sample ballot into my polling place? 

Yes. However, using the phone in the polling place should not disturb other voters or disrupt the polling place. If taking a sample ballot, do not leave the sample ballot in the polling place.

Which statewide constitutional amendment(s) will I vote on?

There’s one statewide amendment on the ballot concerning property owned by the Franklin County school system in Walker and Fayette.

The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, will appear on the ballot as:

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to grant certain sixteenth section and indemnity school land that is owned in fee simple by the Franklin County school system, is located in Fayette County and Walker County, and is for the exclusive use of schools in the Franklin County School System to the Franklin County Board of Education; and to provide for the distribution of any proceeds and interest generated by this land to the Franklin County Board of Education.

Vote YES to give the Franklin County Board of Education full control of the land and allow them to sell the land without the governor’s and state superintendent’s approval. Franklin County Board of Education would receive all of the proceeds from a sale or otherwise generated on the land. 

Vote NO to keep the land owned by the state and are held in trust by the State Board of Education managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

What about races on the ballot?

Alabama voters will select a president; members of the U.S. House of Representatives and some state and judicial offices on Nov. 5. Most legislative and constitutional offices will be up for election in 2026. Read our voter guide here. Besides the presidential race between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump, the contested federal and state races on the ballot will be:

Alabama 1st Congressional District

Left: A man in a dark suit, white shirt and blue and white striped tie in front of an American flag. Right: A man in a dark jacket wearing a blue open-collared shirt
(Left: Office of U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer; Right: Courtesy Tom Holmes)

(D) Tom Holmes

(R) Barry Moore

Alabama’s 1st Congressional District runs from Mobile County to Baldwin and includes most of the southern Wiregrass. Long centered on Mobile, the district was redrawn in 2023 after a federal court ordered the state to create a second “opportunity” district where Black voters could choose their preferred leaders. Read more.

Alabama 2nd Congressional District

A man and a woman
(Left: Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector: Right: Caroleene Dobson Campaign)

(R) Caroleene Dobson

(D) Shomari Figures

The 2nd Congressional District in Alabama runs from the Mississippi border through the southern Black Belt and to the Georgia line. Long centered on the Wiregrass, a federal court in 2023 approved a map redrawing the boundaries in order to create a second “opportunity” congressional district where Black voters could choose their preferred leaders. Read more.

7th Congressional District

A woman in a green jacket with necklaces standing in front of a bridge. Right: a woman with a red jacket standing in front of a flag
(Left: Office of U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell; Right: Courtesy of Robin Litaker)

(R) Robin Litaker

(D) Terri Sewell

Alabama’s 7th Congressional District includes parts of Birmingham and much of the western Black Belt. The district’s boundaries were slightly altered in 2023 to accommodate a second “opportunity” district (the 2nd) to allow Black voters the chance to elect their preferred leaders. The 7th is considered solidly Democratic. Read more.

Alabama Chief Justice

(Getty)

(D) Greg Griffin

(R) Sarah Stewart

The chief justice of Alabama is a sitting member of the Alabama Supreme Court and oversees the operation of the state’s judicial system. Republican nominee Sarah Stewart, an associate justice on the court, faces Democratic nominee Greg Griffin, a Montgomery County circuit judge. Read more.

State Board of Education, District 5

Left: A woman wearing glasses, a blue dress and a string of pearls. Right: A man in a dark suit and open-collared white button up shirt.
(Left: Courtesyo Tonya Chestnut; Right: Curtesy Davis Perry)

(D) Tonya Chestnut

(R) David Perry

District 5 on the Alabama State Board of Education includes most of the Black Belt. Democratic incumbent Tonya Chestnut faces Republican nominee David Perry in the single contested race on the Alabama State Board of Education. The district leans Democratic. Read more.

What races are uncontested?

The 3rd, 4th and 5th congressional districts — represented, respectively, by Republican U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers of Saks; Robert Aderholt of Haleyville and Dale Strong of Madison — are uncontested. Public Service Commission President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh is running unopposed.

Except for chief justice, all seats up for election on the Alabama Supreme Court have a single candidate, as do all the seats on the ballot for Court of Criminal Appeals and Court of Civil Appeals. All State Board of Education seats on the ballot, save District 5, are uncontested.

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