Here you can find answers to your questions about topics such as eligibility for an absentee ballot, applying for an absentee ballot, and casting an absentee ballot.

Absentee ballot applications must be received in the office of the Absentee Election Manager for your county no later than the 5th calendar day prior to the election.

An absentee ballot returned by mail must be postmarked no later than the day prior to the election and received by the Absentee Election Manager no later than noon on election day. If hand-delivered, the ballot must be in the office of the Absentee Election Manager by the close of business (but no later than 5 p.m.) on the day prior to the election.

You can find the address for your county's Absentee Election Manager here.

MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS

Military and overseas voters may now choose to receive their ballots for Federal offices either electronically,by regular U.S. mail, or by commercial carrier. Please click here for more information.

Alabama citizens who are members of the Uniformed Services and their family members, merchant marine, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Alabama overseas citizens can find additional information on absentee voting here.

Absentee Voting Eligibility

A voter may cast an absentee ballot if he or she

EXPECTS TO BE ABSENT FROM THE COUNTY on election day

IS ILL OR HAS A PHYSICAL DISABILITY that prevents a trip to the polling place

IS A REGISTERED ALABAMA VOTER LIVING OUTSIDE THE COUNTY, such as a member of the armed forces, a voter employed outside the United States, a college student, or a spouse or child of such a person

IS AN APPOINTED ELECTION OFFICER OR POLL WATCHER at a polling place other than his or her regular polling place

EXPECTS TO WORK A REQUIRED SHIFT, 10-HOURS OR MORE, that coincides with polling hours

IS 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

IS CURRENTLY INCARCERATED in prison or jail and has not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude

The deadline to submit an absentee ballot application is the 5th calendar day prior to the election.

EMERGENCY ABSENTEE VOTING applications can be made after the absentee deadline but no later than 5 PM on the day before the election, if the voter:

is required by an employer under unforeseen circumstances to be unavailable at the polls on the day of the election

is a caregiver of a person who requires emergency treatment by licensed physician within five days before an election

has a family member to the second degree of kinship by affinity or consanguinity die within five days before an election

MEDICAL EMERGENCY ABSENTEE VOTING applications can be made by a voter who has a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician within 5 days of an election. During that 5 day period, the medical emergency absentee ballot application and the voted absentee ballot must be returned no later than noon on the day the election is held. The medical emergency absentee ballot application requires that the attending physician describe and certify the circumstances as constituting an emergency. The voter may designate someone to turn in the medical emergency absentee ballot application, receive the absentee ballot on behalf of the voter, and return the voted absentee ballot to the Absentee Election Manager on behalf of the voter.

Absentee ballot application

To obtain an absentee ballot, write or visit the local Absentee Election Manager (usually the Circuit Clerk), request an absentee ballot, and provide the following:

name and residential address (or other such information in order to verify voter registration)

a copy of your valid photo identification

election for which the ballot is requested

reason for absence from polls on election day

party choice, if the election is a party primary. (It is not necessary to give a party choice for a general election; however, in a party primary a voter may participate in only one political party's primary; thus a choice must be designated so that the appropriate ballot can be provided. If the voter declines or fails to designate a choice for a primary or primary runoff ballot, the absentee election manager may send only the ballot for constitutional amendments.)

address to which the ballot should be mailed

voter signature. (Signature must be original, electronic signatures will not be accepted. If a mark is made in place of a signature, it must be witnessed.)

The absentee ballot application must be returned to the Absentee Election Manager by the voter in person (or by the voter's designee in the case of medical emergency voting), by U.S. Mail, or by commercial carrier. No absentee ballot application may be mailed in the same envelope as another voter's absentee ballot application.



Upon receiving the absentee ballot application, the Absentee Election Manager may request additional evidence on the reason for voting absentee if the voter has a history of absentee voting. The absentee ballot applications must be turned in no later than the 5th calendar day before the election.

BALLOT RECEIPT/RETURN

If the absentee ballot application is approved, the Absentee Election Manager

forwards the absentee ballot by U.S. Mail, or

personally hands the absentee ballot to the voter (or to a designee in the case of medical emergency absentee voting)

Ballot Procedure

The absentee ballot comes with 3 envelopes -- one plain (the secrecy envelope), one with an affidavit, or oath, printed on the outside, and one plain pre-addressed envelope, (the outer envelope). Once the voter casts the ballot, the procedure is as follows:

Seal the ballot in the plain envelope

Place the plain envelope inside the accompanying affidavit envelope

Seal the affidavit envelope and complete the affidavit that is on the outside of the envelope

Sign the affidavit and have the signature witnessed by either a notary public or two witnesses 18 years of age or older

WITNESSES OR NOTARIZATION

An absentee ballot cannot be counted unless the affidavit is notarized or has the signatures of two witnesses.

The voter has only the following legal ways to return the absentee ballot:

forwards the absentee ballot by U.S. Mail

forwards the absentee ballot by commercial carrier

personally hands their own absentee ballot to the absentee election manager (or delivers by a designee in the case of emergency absentee voting)

VOTING DEADLINE

An absentee ballot returned by mail must be postmarked no later than the day prior to the election and received by the Absentee Election Manager no later than noon on election day. If hand-delivered, the ballot must be in the office of the Absentee Election Manager by the close of business (but no later than 5 p.m.) on the day prior to the election.

Voter Resources

Military/Overseas Citizens absentee voting information

Look up your county

County election officials