Your ballot, explained.

Heard this? Here are the facts

Each claim gets a plain status: True, False, or Promised, not law.

• Heard this? "In Alabama you can vote without showing ID." False
  The facts: You must show photo ID to vote in person or absentee. If you don't have one, you can get a free voter ID card from your county Board of Registrars. Without ID at the polls, you can vote a provisional ballot and bring your ID to the registrars by 5 p.m. the Friday after the election, or two poll workers who know you can sign a sworn statement that you are who you say. source: sos.alabama.gov
• Heard this? "You can register at the polls on Election Day." False
  The facts: Alabama does not have same-day registration. The deadline to register for Nov. 3 is Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. source: sos.alabama.gov
• Heard this? "Anyone can vote early in Alabama." False
  The facts: Alabama has no early voting. You can vote absentee only for a reason the law allows, such as being away, ill or disabled, or working a long shift during poll hours. Include a copy of your photo ID with your application. source: sos.alabama.gov
• Heard this? "A mailed absentee ballot counts if it's postmarked by Election Day." False
  The facts: A mailed absentee ballot must arrive by noon on Election Day. Applications are due Tuesday, Oct. 27. source: sos.alabama.gov
• Heard this? "Any felony conviction takes away your right to vote in Alabama for life." False
  The facts: Only felonies listed in state law as crimes of "moral turpitude" (serious crimes such as murder, rape and robbery) take away your vote. People convicted of other felonies keep the right to vote. Many people who lost the right can apply to get it back with a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote (CERV) from the Board of Pardons and Paroles. source: sos.alabama.gov
• Heard this? "You'll get $5,000 after the election." Promised, not law
  The facts: On Sept. 9, 2026 the President promised every adult $5,000, a "Trump Dividend", if Republicans keep both the House and the Senate. It is a campaign promise that depends on the election results; no law or payment exists today. Congress would have to pass it, and AP estimates it would cost over $1 trillion. Is this legal? Experts disagree. Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, wrote: "No, Mr. President you can't offer voters $5000 if the Republicans win the House and Senate." Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner called it a completed crime under the federal vote-buying law (18 U.S.C. 597). Election attorney John Day told AP it is legal because it would go to everyone regardless of how they vote: "This is a campaign promise." Rice University political scientist Mark Jones: "It's unsavory, but it's legal." Your ballot is secret, so no payment can depend on how you personally vote. source: kold.com source: internazionale.it source: newsweek.com source: ibtimes.co.uk source: katv.com
• Heard this? "Someone can legally pay you to vote, or to vote a certain way." False
  The facts: No. Paying or offering to pay anyone to vote or to register to vote in a federal election is a federal crime (52 U.S.C. 10307(c)). Accepting the payment is a crime too. source: law.cornell.edu
• Heard this? "The $1 million-a-day giveaway in 2024 paid people for voting." False
  The facts: That contest was open only to registered voters in seven swing states, and entering meant signing a petition, not voting. The group's lawyer told a Pennsylvania court the winners were "not chosen by chance". The judge let it continue. source: aljazeera.com

Checked against official sources, court records and news reports. We update this as new claims go around.