Learn & Vote

VOTING IN LEE COUNTY

REGISTRATION

You must be registered to vote no later than 14 days prior to an election in order to cast a ballot.

TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN ALABAMA, YOU MUST:

• Be a citizen of the United States.
• Reside in Alabama.
• Be at least 18 years old on or before election day.
• Not have been convicted of a disqualifying felony, or if you have been convicted, you must have had your civil rights restored. Learn how to get your voting rights restored.
  
• Not have been declared "mentally incompetent" by a court.

YOU MAY REGISTER TO VOTE ONLINE when you have a valid Alabama Driver's License or Nondriving ID. Go to http://www.alabamavotes.gov/ to fill out your application.

YOU MAY REGISTER TO VOTE IN PERSON when obtaining or renewing a driver’s license or when applying for a library card at any county library and many city libraries.

YOU MAY REGISTER TO VOTE at all state and/or county offices that provide public assistance. In Alabama, public assistance offices, such as Medicaid, WIC, and DHR, must distribute voter registration forms, provide assistance in completing the forms if necessary, and accept such forms. These offices must then forward the forms to the local boards of registrars. These voter registration services are to be offered to all applicants when applying for public assistance or when recertifying, renewing or submitting a change of address. Alabamians are not required to register to vote at these locations and they may decline to do so without affecting their right to receive public assistance.

YOU MAY REGISTER TO VOTE BY MAIL Fill out the voter registration form completely and mail it back to :

Board of Registrars, P.O. Box 1530, Opelika, AL 36803-1530

Cards must reach Registrar 14 days before election. You should receive a postcard confirming your registration and naming your voting place.

If you do not receive a postcard within three weeks, call the Board of Registrars at (334) 737-3635 to check on your application.

ABSENTEE VOTING (Information taken from the Alabama Secretary of State's website.)

Absentee Election Manager

Office hours: M-F 8:30AM-4:30PM

Absentee Voting Eligibility

 A voter may cast an absentee ballot if he or she

• WILL 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
• WORKS A REQUIRED SHIFT, 10-HOURS OR MORE, that coincides with polling hours

BUSINESS/MEDICAL EMERGENCY 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 out of the county on election day for an emergency business trip, or
• has a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician

In addition to application information outlined in the next section, 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.

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)
• 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 (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) or by U.S. Mail.  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 turned in no later than the fifth 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 emergency voting)

Ballot Procedure

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, preaddressed (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
• Place the affidavit envelope and a COPY of voter identification inside the outer envelope
• Remember to place a copy of your I.D. (NOT THE ORIGINAL) inside the outer envelope

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, or
• personally hands the 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

TYPES OF ELECTIONS

PRIMARIES are held in even-numbered years. This year Alabama participated in an SEC Primary on March 1st. A run-off is held a few weeks later in contests where no candidate has gained a majority.

GENERAL ELECTIONS are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday In November in even-numbered years. This year's election will be on November 8th.

SPECIAL ELECTIONS are referenda on bond issues, constitutional amendments, taxes, etc., and usually occur at times specified in legislative acts.

MUNICIPAL NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS for Auburn City Government Officials will next be held on August 28, 2018. In Opelika, the municipal elections will be held in 2020. A run-off, if necessary, takes place a few weeks after the August election.