Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) released guidance for, “Voters who wish to cast a straight party vote for all of the candidates on the ballot in either the Republican or Democratic Party may do so by filling in the bubble next to their party preference.”
“However, if a voter wishes to vote for any candidate outside the party that they have chosen, they may do so by marking the space next to the candidate’s name,” Merrill said in the statement. “Regardless of whether the voter cast a straight party vote or not, filling in the bubble next to a candidate’s name will be counted as the voter’s choice in that contest.”
Only the Republican and Democratic parties have party wide ballot access in Alabama at this time.
Voting in Alabama requires having a valid photo ID. Voters may still obtain a free government issued ID from the State of Alabama by visiting their local county board of registrar’s offices which are open the same hours as the county courthouse in each county. If a voter is unable to visit the registrar’s they can contact the Secretary of State’s Office at 334.242.7200 and request a home visit in which a Secretary of State Staff member will visit them at home to produce a photo ID for voting purposes.
To locate your polling place:
https://myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/VoterView/PollingPlaceSearch.do
The deadline to register for this election has already passed; check your registration status here:
https://myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/VoterView/RegistrantSearch.do
The General Election will be held Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The next election will be the 2020 presidential election. The legislature elected on Tuesday will be tasked with redistricting the state after the 2020 census.
