Voting in Alabama
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
At a glance
You must register before the deadline below.
Without photo ID, vote a regular ballot if two poll officials sign an affidavit identifying you, otherwise a provisional ballot that counts if you show ID by 5 p.m. the Friday after Election Day. No ID? Ask your election office whether it offers a free one for voting. First-time voters who registered by mail may need to show ID under federal law.
Excuses: absent from county, illness/disability, physically incapacitated (65+ or disabled), living outside county (e.g., student), election officer/poll watcher elsewhere, work shift of 10+ hours during polling hours, caregiver of homebound family member, incarcerated but eligible Return deadline: by mail: received by noon Nov 3 (Election Day); hand delivery by 5 p.m. Nov 2.
No early in-person voting; excuse-qualified voters may vote absentee in person at the Absentee Election Manager's office until Oct 29
Only felonies 'involving moral turpitude' (a statutory list of about 46 crimes) remove the vote; most can apply for a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote after finishing their sentence, but some (e.g. murder, rape, treason) require a pardon.
Deadlines
| Step | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Register online | Monday, October 19 | |
| Register by mail | Monday, October 19 | |
| Register in person | Monday, October 19 | |
| Election Day | Tuesday, November 3 | Polls close times vary; check your state. |
Mail ballot request: by mail: received Oct 27 (7 days before); by hand: Oct 29. Mail ballot return: by mail: received by noon Nov 3 (Election Day); hand delivery by 5 p.m. Nov 2.
Where the road gets harder
Every rule is a cost, and it doesn't fall on everyone the same. A deadline, a document or a trip to an office is easy for some people and a real obstacle for others: people who work hourly jobs, move often, live far from an office, don't drive, or have a disability. Here is what that looks like in Alabama.
- Registration closes before Election Day (in person: Monday, October 19). Miss it and you can't vote in this election. If you've moved, your registration may need updating by then too.
- Registration isn't automatic. Each person has to sign up on their own, which leaves out people who don't know the rules or move often.
- You need an accepted reason to vote by mail. Excuses: absent from county, illness/disability, physically incapacitated (65+ or disabled), living outside county (e.g., student), election officer/poll watcher elsewhere, work shift of 10+ hours during polling hours, caregiver of homebound family member, incarcerated but eligible. Everyone else votes in person.
- A mail ballot envelope needs a witness or notary signature, an extra step that is harder for people who live alone or are homebound.
- Mail ballots have to arrive by Election Day; a postmark isn't enough. A ballot mailed in the last days can arrive too late and won't count, so return it in person if it's close.
- There's no early in-person voting open to everyone, so most people who vote in person have to do it on a Tuesday, a workday.
- After a felony conviction: Only felonies 'involving moral turpitude' (a statutory list of about 46 crimes) remove the vote; most can apply for a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote after finishing their sentence, but some (e.g. murder, rape, treason) require a pardon.
- The Sentencing Project estimated in 2024 that 227,437 people in Alabama (5.95% of the voting-eligible population, and 8.28% of Black voting-eligible residents) could not vote because of a felony conviction.Source: The Sentencing Project, Locked Out 2024
- In 2015 Alabama announced plans to close 31 part-time driver's license offices, including those in all six counties where Black residents exceed 70% of the population, while the state requires photo ID to vote.Source: Brennan Center for Justice
News from Alabama
Recent election, voting and policy headlines that mention Alabama, newest first. They are found automatically and not checked: a headline shows what someone published, not that it is true.
News appears here once the news feed is connected.
Official links
Alabama Secretary of State. These go straight to the government, not to us.
Sources
Checked October 12, 2026. Laws and court rulings change, sometimes close to an election. If anything here disagrees with your state or county election office, they are right and we are wrong; please tell us.
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voter-registration-deadlines
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/online-voter-registration
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/automatic-voter-registration
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/same-day-voter-registration
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/table-11-receipt-and-postmark-deadlines-for-absentee-mail-ballots
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/early-in-person-voting
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/table-2-excuses-to-vote-absentee
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/table-14-how-states-verify-voted-absentee-mail-ballots
- https://www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/absentee-voting
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/felon-voting-rights
- https://www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/voter-id
- https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/04/01/florida-south-dakota-utah-enact-proof-of-citizenship-laws-for-voter-registration/
- https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/states-already-enacting-harmful-save-act-policies-requiring-proof
- https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/locked-out-2024-four-million-denied-voting-rights-due-to-a-felony-conviction/
- https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/closing-drivers-license-offices-alabama