Alabama Absentee Voter Guide

Military and overseas voters should check out the Overseas Vote Foundation.  Long Distance Voter's forms and deadlines should only be used by voters with US mailing addresses.

Mail-in Deadlines

General Election: November 4, 2008

• Voter registration form: postmarked by October 24, 2008
• Absentee ballot application: received by October 30, 2008
• Absentee ballot due: postmarked by November 3, 2008 (by mail) - received by 5pm on November 3, 2008 (in person)

Voter Registration

To register in Alabama you must:

• Be a United States Citizen
• Reside in Alabama
• Be at least 18 years old
• Have not been convicted of a disqualifying felony (or have rights restored)
• Have not been legally declared "mentally incompetent" by a court

How to register to vote:

Recommended: Use our Voter Registration Widget.  Enter your information, print and sign the completed form, and mail it to the Secretary of State (the address is on the form).  Register to vote now!

You can also download and fill out Alabama's voter registration form.  Mail the completed form to your County Board of Registrars.

ID requirements for first-time voters:

There are no special ID requirements for first-time voters since all Alabama voters need to provide ID when voting in person or by absentee ballot.

Voter registration verification:

You should receive written confirmation that your voter registration was processed in 2-3 weeks.  Don't panic if you never receive your voter registration card: you don't actually need it to vote.  If you not sure if your registration was processed - or if you simply can't remember if you're register to vote - you can verify your voter registration here.      

Absentee Voting

You may vote by absentee ballot 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 apply for an absentee ballot:

You can request your absentee ballot by downloading and completing the Alabama Absentee Ballot Request form.  Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the Absentee Election Manager in care of the Circuit Clerk for your county.  Once your application is processed, they'll mail the absentee ballot to you. 

Absentee ballots for elections more than 30 days apart must be requested on separate applications. This restriction does not apply if you are a member of the armed forces or you are a United States citizen residing overseas, or you are a spouse or dependent of such person.

Emergency absentee ballot requests:

Emergency Absentee Ballot Requests can be submitted after the absentee ballot application deadline but no later than 5 PM on the day before the election, if you are required by an employer under unforeseen circumstances to be out of the county on election day for an emergency business trip, or have a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician

If you face either of these situations, use Alabama's Application for an Emergency Absentee Ballot.  The business emergency application contains an affidavit acknowledging that the voter was not aware of the out-of-county business trip prior to the normal absentee ballot deadline. The medical emergency application requires that the attending physician describe and certify the circumstances as constituting an emergency.  Mail or hand-deliver your completed application to the Absentee Election Manager in care of the Circuit Clerk for your county.

Absentee ballot directions:

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:

1. Seal the ballot in the plain envelope
2. Place the plain envelope inside the accompanying affidavit envelope
3. Seal the affidavit envelope and complete the affidavit that is on the outside of the envelope
4. Sign the affidavit and have the signature witnessed by either a notary public or two witnesses 18 years of age or older
5. Place the affidavit envelope and a copy of your identification (NOT THE ORIGINAL) inside the outer envelope 

Mail your ballot back to the Absentee Election Manager in care of the Circuit Clerk for your county.  Be sure to meet the deadline or your ballot won't be counted!

ID requirements for absentee voters:

All absentee voters must include a copy of their ID with their absentee ballot.  Acceptable forms of voter ID include: Government-issued photo ID; Employee photo ID; Alabama college, university photo ID technical or professional school photo ID; utility bill, bank statement, government paycheck, or paycheck with voter's name and address; Valid ID card (authorized by law) issued by the State of or by any of the other 49 states or issued by the US government; US passport; Alabama hunting or fishing license; Alabama pistol/revolver permit; Valid pilot's license; Valid US military ID; Birth certificate; Social Security card; Naturalization document; Court record of adoption; Court record of name change; Valid Medicaid or Medicare card; Valid electronic benefits transfer card; Government document that shows the name and address of the voter. 

State Contact Information