Alabama Attorney General election, 2018 (June 5 Republican primary)

Elections in Alabama, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 22
• Early voting: N/A
• Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 5

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Photo ID required
• Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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On the ballot: U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • Local judges • State ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2022 → ← 2014
Alabama Attorney General
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 9, 2018
Primary: June 5, 2018 Primary runoff: July 17, 2018 (if needed) General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent(s): Steve Marshall (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Alabama
Ballotpedia analysis
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Click here for Ballotpedia's coverage of the July 17 runoff election.

Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) ran for the post for the first time after being appointed in 2017. No candidate received a majority of the vote, leading to a runoff election on July 17, 2018. The two candidates who appeared in the runoff were incumbent Steve Marshall (R), who received 28.4 percent of the vote in the June primary, and former Attorney General Troy King (R), who received 28.0 percent.

Marshall joined Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) as Republican state executives running for a first full term after being appointed to office, and faced multiple Republican primary challengers. Those challengers in the June 5 Republican primary included former Attorney General Troy King (R), former U.S. Attorney Alice Martin (R), and former Donald Trump Alabama campaign chairman Chess Bedsole (R).

Marshall was appointed attorney general in February 2017 by then-Gov. Robert Bentley (R) following Luther Strange's (R) resignation to accept a seat in the U.S. Senate. Marshall emphasized his achievements since taking office on the campaign trail, touting his office's policy initiatives on opioids and violent crime as well as litigation concerning immigration and firearms regulations.

The Alabama Legislative Watchdogs and the Alabama Farmers Federation backed Martin, who said her top priority would be "cleaning up the culture of corruption in Alabama politics."

Bedsole, a former judge, emphasized public safety. Bedsole promised to "aggressively lower violent crime in our cities [and] cut illegal drug sales in the state."

King was state attorney general from 2004 until 2011. He lost to Luther Strange (R) in the 2010 Republican primary. King cast his run for office as a second chance, saying that "I know a lot more now than I did seven years ago." King's campaign referred to his campaign slogan Take Alabama Back, emphasizing King's challenge to corruption, violent crime, and the political establishment.

Candidates and election results

Incumbent Steve Marshall and Troy King advanced to a runoff. They defeated Alice Martin and Chess Bedsole in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Alabama on June 5, 2018.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Alabama

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Marshall	28.3	154,500
✔		Troy King	27.9	151,878
		Alice Martin	23.2	126,735
	Submit photo	Chess Bedsole	20.6	112,062

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 545,175
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Campaign finance

The following are campaign finance figures obtained from the Alabama Secretary of State's reporting system on May 28, 2018. Campaign finance figures from the Marshall campaign date to a major contribution report filed on May 21, while figures from the Bedsole campaign date to a major contribution report on May 24, figures from the King campaign date to a major contribution report on May 23, and figures from the Martin campaign date from a weekly campaign finance report filed May 21.

Endorsements

Republican candidate endorsements
Endorsement	Date	Marshall	Martin
State figures
Former Acting Alabama Attorney General W. Van Davis	March 26, 2018		✔
Organizations
National Rifle Association	May 17, 2018	✔
Alabama Citizens for Life	May 16, 2018	✔
Alabama Republican Assembly	May 8, 2018		✔
Shelby County Chiefs of Police Association	May 7, 2018	✔
Home Builders Association of Alabama	April 23, 2018	✔
Alabama Retail Association	April 17, 2018	✔
ProgressPAC	April 3, 2018	✔
Automobile Dealers of Alabama	March 26, 2018	✔
BamaCarry	March 23, 2018		✔
Manufacture Alabama	March 6, 2018	✔
Republican Attorneys General Association	February 28, 2018	✔
Alabama Civil Justice Reform Committee	February 27, 2018	✔
Alabama Farmers Federation	February 13, 2018		✔
Alabama Legislative Watchdogs	January 19, 2018		✔

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Alabama Attorney General, 2018 Republican primary
Poll	Steve Marshall	Troy King	Alice Martin	Chess Bedsole	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size
Leverage Public Strategies for the Alabama Daily News (April 23-30, 2018)	14%	13%	10%	4%	59%	+/-3.9	600
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign tactics and strategies

Campaign advertisements

Steve Marshall

Support

"Steve Marshall - A Principled Conservative" - Marshall campaign ad, released May 24, 2018

"Steve Marshall - Stand" - Marshall campaign ad, released May 22, 2018

"Mikayla's Story" - Marshall campaign ad, released May 14, 2018

"Steve Marshall - Fighting for Alabama" - Marshall campaign ad, released May 9, 2018

"Steve Marshall, Conservative Fighting for Alabama" - Marshall campaign ad, released April 17, 2018

"Attorney General Steve Marshall - Prosecutor" - Marshall campaign ad, released February 19, 2018

"Uphold the Constitution" - Marshall campaign ad, released October 4, 2017

"Proven Prosecutor" - Marshall campaign ad, released August 23, 2017

Chess Bedsole

Support

"Justice" - Bedsole campaign ad, released May 24, 2018

"Rally" - Bedsole campaign ad, released May 1, 2018

"Bedsole for AG TV ad" - Bedsole campaign ad, released April 23, 2018

"First Bedsole Radio Ad" - Bedsole campaign ad, released March 21, 2018

Alice Martin

Support

"Stop the Deal-makers" - Martin campaign ad, released May 23, 2018

"Alice Martin Radio Ad 1" - Martin campaign ad, released April 10, 2018

Online presence

May 14

The following social media statistics were compiled on May 14, 2018.

	Facebook			Twitter
Candidate	Followers	Likes	Comments on Last Ten Posts	Followers	Following	Tweets
Marshall	11,102	11,060	18	2,269	1,235	810
Bedsole	14,184	14,191	87	463	1,298	94
King	5,439	5,650	161	--	--	--
Martin	3,995	3,941	28	353	942	549

March 10

The following social media statistics were compiled on March 10, 2018.

	Facebook			Twitter
Candidate	Followers	Likes	Comments on Last Ten Posts	Followers	Following	Tweets
Marshall	6,872	6,839	22	2,147	1,221	640
Bedsole	10,048	10,049	42	377	1,308	62

Tweets by Steve Marshall Tweets by Chess Bedsole Tweets by Alice Martin

Campaign themes and policy stances

Steve Marshall

“	Opioid Crisis Forging a path forward to address the opioid epidemic in Alabama has been a hallmark of my first year in office. Last summer, Governor Kay Ivey appointed me as co-chair of her Alabama Opioid Overdose & Addiction Council. After six months of in-depth research and discussion by the Council, we reported our recommendations to Governor Ivey. Now, we are getting to work on the implementation of those recommendations. As the Council’s work highlights, a multi-faceted problem requires creative and diverse solutions. The partnership we have established between law enforcement, mental health, and public health is foundational, but this alliance must be expanded to include both the faith and education communities. Through my position as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of this state, it is my unique responsibility to ensure we are effectively dealing with the trafficking of both pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs. We are ramping up our ability to combat this trafficking through increased coordination and data-sharing with federal partners and providing new resources to our local partners through our new cybercrime lab. Because much of the trafficking of the most dangerous opioids--fentanyl and Carfentanil--occur online, our new lab is a critical tool in this fight. Immigration Illegal immigration is a growing problem for our state. It is the government’s first responsibility to enforce the law and ensure the safety of our citizens. Stopping the flow of illegal immigrants through our borders is the first step in achieving that goal. I am also committed to the prosecution of illegal immigrants who commit crimes in Alabama. In my first year in office, I have taken these steps to combat illegal immigration: Fought for President Trump’s travel ban designed to protect all Americans from the influx of immigrants from countries that pose a security risk to the U.S. Joined President Trump’s effort to put an end to sanctuary cities Demanded an end to Obama’s executive amnesty and insisted that the rule of law be upheld. Federal Overreach Our Founders knew that an out-of-control federal government would be the enemy of freedom. That’s why the Constitution gives “few and defined” powers to the federal government and reserves for the States “all the objects which...concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people…” This balance of power, federalism, was greatly disrupted during the Obama Administration but with a new Administration in place, we have an opportunity to reclaim our state sovereignty. Alabama has been uniquely affected by federal overreach on issues affecting private property. I am currently leading a battle in the U.S. Supreme Court against a federal regulation that would give the government power to use any private land that the federal government deemed necessary to protect an endangered species. In the process of this lawsuit, we have also worked successfully with the Trump Administration to get these burdensome rules rolled back. I agree with the late Justice Scalia, “it won’t work if we don’t believe in federalism.” Violent Crime Violent crime in Alabama is at a 20-year high. In fact, data shows us that a violent crime is committed every 21 minutes across our state. That’s why I launched my “Initiative on Violent Crime” with the slogan “Reclaim. Restore. Revive.” I am determined to reclaim our neighborhoods from the scourge of violent crime, restore the rule of law, and ultimately, see these communities revived. We are accomplishing these goals through targeting our worst-hit areas, establishing strategic partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement, renewing investments in crime-fighting resources and increasing training opportunities for those on the front lines. We are also listening to the needs of victims of violent crime. As a result, we advocated for and secured passage of the Fair Justice Act to ensure that capital murderers are limited in their ability to file endless frivolous appeals that cause families to relive their horror again and again, while losing faith in the justice system. We are having great success and are dedicated to winning this fight. With our friend and partner, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, at the helm of our federal crime-fighting agencies and a career prosecutor leading the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, criminals should be on notice. We will not tolerate this menace to our citizens. Human Trafficking Not only is human trafficking a global tragedy, it is heartbreakingly present even in our own state of Alabama. It is hard for us to fathom that such a vile practice as slavery exists in our midst. Traffickers target those who are most vulnerable, using threats and torture to wear their victims down and render them powerless to seek help. I stand ready to prosecute these cases and see this horrible crime punished. I am also fighting to ensure that those in law enforcement have the training and resources that they need to deal with these horrific crimes. Together we can save victims, one at a time, and reduce the terrible suffering caused by trafficking. 2nd Amendment I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution and to vigilantly protect the rights of the people, including the Second Amendment. Our Second Amendment rights are constantly under siege from the liberals and their footholds in federal agencies. I have demonstrated my commitment to protect the rights of gun owners in federal and state courts and to push back on unnecessary restrictions on gun manufacturers. I will continue to be a champion of the Second Amendment on behalf of all Alabamians. Ethics Cracking down on government corruption is vital to public confidence and the welfare of our our state. I have worked to bring more transparency to government by building on the Alabama Ethics Act. We need honest people to serve and we must close loopholes that would allow for corrupt individuals to profit from their government service. It is my highest priority to ensure that those who serve the people of Alabama do so with the utmost integrity. Standing up for Life We must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves--we must fight for the unborn. I have a career-long record of fighting for life in the courts and in the legislature. One of the biggest victories in my professional career has been drafting and advocating for the Brody Act—a law that makes it possible to prosecute offenders for two crimes if they kill or injure an unborn child during an attack on the unborn child’s mother. After that law passed, I became the first prosecutor to secure a death sentence (for a man who had murdered his pregnant wife) under the Brody Act. Amazingly, when this landmark case was on appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court, I had the privilege of defending that conviction in my role as Attorney General. I have also fought for and won First Amendment protections for pro-life speech, defended Alabama’s law on parental consent for abortions, supported other states’ laws that would prohibit late-term and discriminatory abortions and battled the ACLU to ban the gruesome practice of dismemberment abortions.	”
—Steve Marshall for Attorney General

Chess Bedsole

“	Republican lawyer and former criminal court judge, Chess Bedsole spent the last couple of years working with President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, first to secure the White House and then serving as senior counsel to the incoming Department of Justice. During this time, Chess worked to rewrite Obama executive orders and implement the policies of Trump and Sessions. His focus included securing the border, taking unnecessary regulations off the backs of our military, removing barriers to the 2nd amendment freedoms of gun owners and protecting the right to life. A former criminal court judge in North Alabama, Chess has a record of swift justice. He supported law enforcement efforts to fight drug sales and worked with local charities and churches to help victims of domestic violence. He also cut costs to taxpayers by requiring work or school of young, able-bodied, nonviolent offenders. Chess is running for Attorney General to aggressively lower violent crime in our cities, cut illegal drug sales in the state, empower our law enforcement community with more resources and less red tape and to restore integrity to the office. Chess has a long history of fighting for conservative values and a resume built on hard work over decades. Best known for his legal work helping to ensure the success of Republican candidates in high profile races, he spent time working for President George W. Bush after initially joining the litigation team on the Gore v. Bush Florida recount. Additionally, Chess challenged two Alabama recounts, leading to the defeats of Democrats Don Siegelman and Roger Bedford. Chess graduated from Emory University in Atlanta and earned his law degree from the University of Alabama. Born in Mobile, he grew up in Alabama. Chess and his wife Jenna live in Birmingham with their two daughters, ages 7 and 11. Lifelong Methodists, they are members of Canterbury United Methodist Church.	”
—Chess Bedsole for Attorney General

Alice Martin

“	2nd Amendment I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and our right to bear arms. I’ll fight against any state or federal legislation that seeks to undo or preempt Alabama’s open and concealed-carry laws. As a federal prosecutor my office prosecuted hundreds of federal firearm violations with ATF and local law enforcement. This reduced violent crime, which is now on the rise. I’ll work to enforce current laws – not add new restrictions to law abiding Alabamians – to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, criminals and the mentally ill. As a lifelong gun owner, hunter and NRA member, I’ll fight any move by liberal Democrats and Republicans to limit our rights to own a gun and defend our families. Corruption Ends Here I have focused much of my 20-year career as a state and federal prosecutor on fighting corruption in government. As United States Attorney for 31 counties of north Alabama, I formed the North Alabama Public Corruption Task Force with former Alabama AG Bill Pryor and obtained 140 federal corruption convictions and was named a “Top 10 Prosecutor in the U. S.” by Corporate Fraud Reporter. As Chief Deputy Attorney General for Alabama from 2015-2017, I worked on the prosecution team that prosecuted Speaker Mike Hubbard, as well as led the grand jury investigation into former Governor Robert Bentley. I increased resources to prosecute public corruption in the Alabama Attorney General’s Office by more than 200%. If elected to serve as your Attorney General I will continue that work to follow the facts and hold corrupt government employees and officials accountable to their oaths of office. Corruption creates an unlevel playing field for law abiding businesses and is costly to taxpayers. I will work to clarify Alabama’s Ethics Law and hold entities accountable to the Alabama Open Records Act because sunshine is a disinfectant. Public service is not about private gain. Integrity and ethical behavior matters and no one is above the law. Stop Illegal Immigration and Sanctuary cities I stand with President Trump as a strong supporter of enforcing our immigration laws! The U.S. is a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws designed to protect our borders and our citizens. I oppose sanctuary city policies that ignore immigration laws and release criminal aliens back into a community. This liberal policy has illegally released thousands of criminals into American communities. It puts law-abiding citizens and undocumented immigrants at risk. I will fight against any movement of a city or county in Alabama to become a sanctuary jurisdiction, and that risk your safety by becoming one. Opioid Crisis Fact: In 2017, 60,000 Americans died from drug overdoses and two-thirds were linked to opioids. Two deaths a day occur in Alabama due to an overdose. Alabama has the highest number of opioid prescriptions per person than any other state! Almost everyone in Alabama knows someone whose family has been impacted by opioid addiction or an overdose. As a prosecutor and nurse I know we cannot prosecute our way out of this crisis. It will require a multi-discipline approach of prevention through education, medication-assisted treatment, and law enforcement. Research shows that 40% of people who take opioids for more than 30 days become addicted. I’m proud to have successfully advocated for mandatory controlled substance prescribing education for physicians starting January 1, 2018, and mandatory checks that trigger the Alabama Prescription Drug Monitoring Program database in order to combat doctor shopping and drug diversion. If we do not make a positive impact now, we can expect an increase in ‘pills to needles’ abuse. Heroin addiction will continue to rise as well because the DEA links 80% of heroin addiction to prescription drug abuse. Fentanyl deaths will continue to rise. There were 247 drug overdoses in Jefferson County, Alabama alone in 2016, an increase of 12% over 2015. The trend in this public health issue is alarming and touches people of all ages, but especially people in their 30-50s, which yields a lot of ‘collateral damage’ with the number of children impacted. Pro- Life I oppose abortion. Life begins at conception and should be protected. I am committed to protecting the rights of unborn children except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the mother. As a mother of three daughters and a nurse, I care about the health of the unborn baby and the mother. I support women’s safety through education and funding of community health centers, so they have real choices and can avoid unwanted pregnancies. As Attorney General I would support and defend the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, to prohibit abortion after 20 weeks. I will fight liberal attempts to allow abortion on demand and fight to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding of abortion. Federalist - States' Rights As Attorney General, I will fight to protect our States’ rights, under the Tenth Amendment from federal government overreach. This includes fighting for our religious liberties that have been under constant attack from liberals and out –of- state groups. We cannot allow big government policies and the liberal agenda to supersede the laws that Alabama lawmakers have put in place and which reflect our values. It is the responsibility of the state to enforce the Constitution to manage the federal government. While serving as Alabama’ Chief Deputy Attorney General in 2016, we fought and won an injunction against Obama’s transgender bathroom mandate that would have required Alabama schools to allow students access to restrooms and locker rooms based on their gender “identity” rather than their sex, or we would have lost federal funding. We must push back against these liberal agenda items that seek to destroy the moral fiber of our country. “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government – lest it come to dominate our lives and interests”. -Patrick Henry Stop Human Trafficking Fact: Human trafficking is the second most profitable illegal activity in the world and the superhighways – I-20 and I-65 – run through Alabama making it a target rich environment for this form of modern day slavery. I have prosecuted sex trafficking cases and I know it is happening to children and adults here in Alabama. In the past 10 years, over 377 victims have been identified where the use of force, fraud or coercion to get labor or commercial sex act has occurred. I will work with state, local and federal law enforcement officials to provide training and prosecution to combat human trafficking. I will work to form an alliance with schools and private businesses to increase awareness of the issue and to prevent and detect trafficking along our interstate highway corridors.	”
—Alice Martin for Attorney General

Troy King

“	Taking Alabama Back from Crime Violent crime in Alabama has been on the rise. It is the job of the Attorney General to keep Alabama’s families and communities safe. In 2010 (the last year I served as Attorney General), violent crime in our state hit a twenty year low. Over the last eight years, it has been on the rise until, last year it was at historic highs. In 2016, Alabama was the third most murderous state in America. Alabamians have every reason to expect that the Attorney General, the chief law enforcement officer in the state, will implement policies, propose new laws, and enforce the law in a way that sends a message to violent criminals that, if they threaten the peace in our state, they will face swift and sure consequences. Using experience & proven policies will not only allow Alabama to, once again, win the war against violent crimes to keep law abiding citizens safe, but it is also the most certain way to TAKE ALABAMA BACK from the violent criminals. Taking Alabama Back from Corruption Every Alabamian has watched in despair as the politically corrupt have tightened their stranglehold on our state government. The Speaker of the House of Representatives stands convicted of 23 counts of misusing his office for personal gain and soliciting gifts from lobbyists. He remains free. Numerous other legislators have been forced from office for their own corrupt activities. Most notably, though, Alabama spent three years as the lead joke on the national news as Robert Bentley made a mockery of public service. At the height of the scandal, Governor Bentley faced impeachment proceedings, four felony referrals from the Alabama Ethics Commission, a criminal grand jury, and the prospect of multiple court cases – both civil and criminal. The kind of deals that were once confined to smoky back rooms are now cut in plain view as those investigating the activities of the Governor and in charge of his investigations asked for favors from the very target of those investigations, lied about their activities, and appear to have traded their appointments for a favorable plea deal that allowed Governor Bentley to escape the consequences of his actions. As a little boy, my dad would often point to the TV screen during news reports of the Governor and say, “Son, if you work hard, study hard, and apply yourself, you can grow up and be just like him”. I fear it has been far too long since any parent in their right mind in Alabama challenged their child to grow up and be like our Governor. That is unacceptable! We stand in danger of an entire generation of children growing up in an Alabama where the lessons our leaders have taught us are that public service is dishonorable and that all politicians are corrupt. We can and we must change that. To do so, we must have zero tolerance for corruption. We must remind those who hold public office that they serve a high calling and that, if they betray their oaths, the constitution, and those they are sworn to serve, we are prepared to use the law to the fullest extent to make examples of them and hold them accountable. At the same time, we must further tighten and strengthen our ethics laws to ensure that the penalties for public corruption are adequate to deter future corruption and to punish those who abuse the public trust. Only by doing so can we ever TAKE ALABAMA BACK from the corrupt. Taking Alabama Back from the Establishment For too long now the entrenched and self-entitled Establishment forces in Montgomery have had their way. They have come to believe their money and their power buys them the right to place their interests ahead of those interests of the people of Alabama. The result has been the widespread erosion of confidence in the branches of state government. It is time the people of Alabama rally together and to remind those who serve in state government and those who believe they have bought our government that the real power lies with the people. We must remind the powerful that, in Alabama, it is the government that should work for the people and not the other way around. Our willingness to stand together and to demand accountability across government is the only way to TAKE ALABAMA BACK from those forces that have come to exert to much control over government. Taking Alabama Back from Opioids Our state’s families and communities are in the grips of a deadly struggle with an exploding drug epidemic. It is a struggle we are losing. To understand why, and begin dealing with this problem, we must properly understand the extent of the problem. Last year in Alabama, more prescriptions for opioids were written per capita than any other state in the country. Opioid addictions are among the most powerful, and unless we properly combat the problem, Alabama will experience what has occurred elsewhere in the country—the opioid crisis will become a heroin epidemic. If Alabama does not act and act decisively, generations of Alabamians stand to become victims. Alabama families and communities are depending on their Attorney General stop the suffering, and they deserve a more effective response. The current approach has included studying the issue to conclude that more studying of the issue is necessary and to file a misguided lawsuit. Alabamians deserve a strong response from their Attorney General, because the Attorney General has the most direct ability to lead the charge against the opioid crisis in court. But, Alabama’s weak lawsuit fails to do so. It was brought against only one drug manufacturer, Purdue Pharmaceuticals. Yet Purdue is only responsible for two percent of the opioid prescriptions written in Alabama. Allowing those responsible for 98% of the problem to escape accountability for the harm they have inflicted, and to remain unbridled, sends the wrong message. The only effective response is to hold those responsible for creating this crisis accountable… not one of them, but all of them. Because the current approach means that those who are poisoning and addicting our children and families continue to get rich and face no accountability for their actions. Further, Alabama’s lawsuit was filed in federal court in Ohio. That should not have happened, Alabama’s case should be heard in an Alabama court by Alabama citizens who can apply Alabama law and render judgment and impose punishments commensurate with the harm done in Alabama. Solving the opioid problem in Alabama will not be simple, but neither was dealing with the methamphetamine crisis. The leadership I provided as Attorney General led to real common sense responses to the meth problem that led to a decline in meth production, addictions, and deaths in our state. We must be heartened as we wage this war, there are no problems in Alabama that cannot be solved, only problems that have not been solved yet. Implementing a real response to this clear and present danger is the only effective path to take Alabama back from the opioid epidemic that is now threatening our state and killing our children while destroying our communities. I am committed to using my experience earned waging war on methamphetamines to attack this current crisis. I look forward to responsibility of taking Alabama back from opioids. Taking Alabama Back from Sexual Predators It’s important to have laws. The right laws, good laws, strong laws that will make a difference. That’s why, when I was Attorney General, we rewrote Alabama’s sex offender laws and made them the toughest sex offender laws in the country. People said, “You’ll never get that through. Children don’t have lobbyists. Children don’t make campaign contributions. Children don’t go to the Capitol. You will never get this bill passed.” But we did! It’s not just important that we have laws though. Maybe more important, is that we use the laws we have. For example, we had a child pornography law in Alabama that made it a crime to take a child’s innocence away with a camera, but having a law that says you should not do it does not stop anybody from doing anything. So we took the law and we used it. We indicted a man who had a computer set up next to his little girl’s bed where he was running a child pornography ring out of her bedroom. We convicted him and sentenced him to 115 life sentences plus 1960 years on top of that. Somebody stopped me after this made the news and asked me, “Wouldn’t you have made the point just as well with ten indictments?” The answer is: No! Every child in Alabama is precious. Every child has the right, if you steal their innocence with a camera, to have their day in court. So no, it was not enough to just indict five or ten as a sample. Because to do that would require us to say, “This child should have their day in court, but this other child should not because we are just making a point.” We were not making a point, my friends, we were making an example. So 115 life sentences and 1960 years later, sex offenders are on notice that Alabama is not the place to come and peddle their smut. This is not the place to come and hurt our children. Every child deserves their own day in court. So the message was important. The message was: “if you come to peddle smut in Alabama, we’ve got a severe sentence waiting for you. We’ve got a tough law and we are prepared to use it to protect the children of this state.” Only when we do that can we make clear to those who peddle smut— Not in our state. Not our children. Not now. Not ever. Then, and only then, can we take Alabama back from predators.	”
—Troy King for Attorney General

2014

See also: Alabama attorney general election, 2014

Attorney General of Alabama, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Luther Strange Incumbent	58.4%	681,973
	Democratic	Joseph Lister Hubbard	41.4%	483,771
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.2%	2,157
Total Votes				1,167,901
Election results via Alabama Secretary of State

2010

See also: Alabama Attorney General election, 2010

On November 2, 2010, Luther Strange (R) won election to the office of Attorney General of Alabama. He defeated James H. Anderson (D) in the general election.

Attorney General of Alabama, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Luther Strange (R)	58.8%	868,520
	Democratic	James H. Anderson	41.1%	606,270
	Write-in	N/A	0.1%	1,285
Total Votes				1,476,075
Election results via Alabama Secretary of State.

2006

On November 7, 2006, Troy King won election to the office of Attorney General of Alabama. He defeated John M. Tyson in the general election.

Attorney General of Alabama, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Troy King	53%	653,045
	Democratic	John M. Tyson	46.9%	576,830
	Write-in	N/A	0.1%	1,221
Total Votes				1,231,096
Election results via Alabama Secretary of State.

2002

On November 5, 2002, William H. Pryor Jr. won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Alabama. He defeated Boyd Whigham (D) and Wilson Myers (Lib) in the general election.

Attorney General of Alabama, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	William H. Pryor Jr. Incumbent	58.8%	780,524
	Democratic	Boyd Whigham	38.8%	515,123
	Libertarian	Wilson Myers	2.2%	29,202
	Write-in	N/A	0.1%	1,455
Total Votes				1,326,304
Election results via Alabama Secretary of State.

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Alabama uses an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Alabama, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. According to state law, "All polling places in areas operating on eastern time shall open and close under this section pursuant to eastern time except the county commissions in Chambers County and Lee County may by resolution provide for any polling place to be excluded from this sentence and to be open according to central time." Anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote.

Voter registration

Check your voter registration status here.

Alabama requires that an applicant be a citizen of the United States who resides in Alabama. A voter must be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day. A citizen cannot have been barred from registering due to a felony conviction and cannot have been declared mentally incompetent by a court.

Voters cannot register during the 14 days preceding an election. According to the Alabama Secretary of State's website:

“

You may download the State of Alabama Postcard Voter Registration Application from this site. The form can be printed on your printer, filled out, and then mailed into your local voter registration officials. Click here for more information. You may also request a postcard voter registration from this office by e-mail. Click here to request a voter registration form. Voter registration is also available from your local County Board of Registrars. Click here to get the address and phone number for the board of registrars office in your county. You may also obtain voter registration services at the following state and local government offices and agencies: Driver's licensing office County and select municipal public libraries Department of Human Resources WIC Program, Department of Public Health Medicaid Agency Department of Rehabilitation Services The postcard voter registration form is also available at: Public 4-year universities Select private 4-year universities Driver's licensing office County and select municipal public libraries Department of Human Resources WIC Program, Department of Public Health Medicaid Agency Department of Rehabilitation Services

”

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Alabama does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Alabama has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Alabama does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Alabama, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

An Alabama state law, passed in 2011, requires people to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. However, as of November 2025, the law had not been implemented.

In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot require proof of citizenship with federal registration forms. That meant states would need to create a separate registration system for state elections to require proof of citizenship. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) said the following: "That’s an election administration nightmare ... You’d have to have two sets of poll books, one for federal elections and one for state elections, and that just doesn’t make any sense to me."

An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Alabama Secretary of State's Voter View website allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Early and absentee/mail-in voting policy

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Alabama does not permit early voting.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

A voter is eligible to vote absentee/mail-in in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:

• The voter will be absent from the county on Election Day.
• The voter is ill or has a disability that prevents a trip to the polling place.
• The voter is physically incapacitated and cannot access their polling place due to a life-altering disorder that affects their ability to perform manual tasks, stand for any length of time, walk unassisted, see, hear, or speak. The voter must also be 65 years of age or older or have a disability.
• The voter is a registered 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.
• The voter is an appointed election officer or poll watcher at a polling place other than his or her regular polling place.
• The voter works a required shift of 10 hours or more that coincides with polling hours.
• The voter is a caregiver to a family member to the second degree of kinship who is confined to their home.
• The voter is incarcerated and has not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude.

Absentee/mail-in ballot application must be received by the seventh day prior to the election if delivered by mail, and by the fifth day before an election if delivered by hand.

In the following circumstances, the deadline to apply for an absentee/mail-in ballot is 5 p.m. the day before the election:

• The voter is required by an employer under unforeseen circumstances to be out of the county on Election Day for an emergency business trip.
• The voter is a caregiver of a person who requires emergency treatment by a licensed physician within five days before an election.
• The voter has a family member to the second degree of kinship by affinity or consanguinity die within five days before an election.

Alabama also provides for medical emergency absentee/mail-in voting for a voter who has a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician within 5 days of an election. A voted medical emergency absentee/mail-in ballot must be returned no later than noon on election day.

Absentee/mail-in ballot applications must be mailed or handed in person to an absentee/mail-in election manager (usually a circuit clerk). For a link to the application and to find your county's absentee/mail-in election manager, click here.

See below for voter identification requirements for absentee/mail-in ballots in Alabama.

All states allow for some form of absentee/mail-in voting. Seven states and the District of Columbia had automatic mail-in ballot systems that mandate that all eligible voters receive an absentee/mail ballot by default. An eighth state, Vermont, had such a system for general elections only.

Twenty-eight states allow any eligible voter to cast an absentee/mail-in ballot. The remaining 14 states required voters to provide an excuse to receive and cast an absentee/mail ballot. Acceptable excuses vary by state.

Returning absentee/mail-in ballots

See also: Mail ballot collection and return laws by state

Only the voter may return their absentee/mail-in ballot, either by mail or in person. A voter may designate another person to return their ballot only in the case of medical emergency absentee voting.

“

After marking the ballot and subscribing the oath herein required, the voter shall seal his or her ballot in the plain envelope, place that plain envelope inside the affidavit envelope, complete the affidavit, have a notary public (or other officer authorized to acknowledge oaths) or two witnesses witness his or her signature to the affidavit, and forward it by United States mail to the absentee election manager or hand it to him or her in person.

”

Twenty states allow anyone chosen by the voter to return a ballot on the voter's behalf, with certain exceptions, while 16 states allow anyone with certain relationships to the voter to return the voter's ballot. Four states allow only the voter to return the voter's ballot, with certain exceptions, and two states required voters to return their ballots by mail. Eight states and D.C. do not specify who may return ballots.

Drop box availability

State law does not mention drop boxes and they were not in use in the state as of 2025.

Signature requirements and cure provisions

Ballots will not be counted in the state of Alabama if they do not 1) contain the voter's signature, or 2) contain the signatures of two witnesses or a notary public. Alabama does not have a cure provision, or a law providing for a process where election officials follow up with voters whose absentee/mail-in ballots contain a signature discrepancy or lack the requisite signatures.

Alabama law states the following:

“

No poll worker or other election official shall open an affidavit envelope if the envelope indicates the ballot is an unverified provisional ballot or the affidavit is unsigned by the voter or unmarked, and no ballot envelope or ballot may be removed or counted. No poll worker or other election official shall open an affidavit envelope if the voter’s affidavit signature or mark is not witnessed by the signatures of two witnesses or a notary public, or other officer, including a military commissioned officer, authorized to acknowledge oaths, and no ballot envelope or ballot may be removed or counted.

”

Thirty-three states have laws that include cure provisions, while 17 states do not. One state, Pennsylvania, allows counties to establish a cure process.

Was your absentee/mail-in ballot counted?

Use the Alabama Secretary of State's Voter View tool to check the status of your absentee/mail-in ballot.

Voter identification requirements

See also: Voter ID in Alabama

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Alabama requires voters to present photo identification at the polls. The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of November 2025. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Alabama Secretary of State.

“

Valid Alabama Driver’s License (not expired or has been expired less than 60 days) Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Driver’s License Valid Alabama Nondriver ID (not expired or has been expired less than 60 days) Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Nondriver ID Valid Alabama Photo Voter ID Card Valid State-Issued ID (Alabama or any other state) Examples Valid AL Department of Corrections Release - Temporary ID (Photo Required) Valid AL Movement/Booking Sheet from Prison/Jail System (Photo Required) Valid Pistol Permit (Photo Required) Valid Federal-Issued ID Valid US passport Valid Employee ID from Federal Government, State of Alabama, County, Municipality, Board, or other entity of this state Valid student or employee ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools) Digital student ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools) Valid student or employee ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state Digital student ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state Valid Military ID Valid Tribal ID

”

To view Alabama statute pertaining to voter identification, click here.

A voter can obtain a free identification card from the Alabama Secretary of State, a county registrar's office, or a mobile location. The mobile location schedule can be accessed here. Alabama requires voters to present photo ID while voting. Accepted forms of identification include driver's licenses, student ID cards, and military IDs. A voter can obtain a free photo ID from the Alabama Secretary of State, a county registrar's office, or a mobile location, which changes daily. The mobile location schedule can be accessed here. Click here to learn more about the background of Alabama's law.

Thirty-six states require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 24 require voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 12 accept other forms of identification. The remaining 14 states do not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.

Valid forms of identification differ by state. In certain states that require voters to provide identification, there may be exceptions that allow some voters to cast a ballot without providing an ID. To see more about these exceptions, see details by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.

Provisional balloting for voters without ID

Voters who do not have ID while voting may cast provisional ballots. See below for provisional ballot rules.

Provisional ballot rules

Voters in Alabama are given provisional ballots under the following circumstances. Below each circumstance is a description of the action taken to determine whether provisional ballots will be counted and circumstances under which they will not be counted.

(1) "The name of the individual does not appear on the official list of eligible voters for the precinct or polling place in which the individual seeks to vote, and the individual's registration cannot be verified while at the polling place by the registrar or the judge of probate."

• The voter must sign an affirmation of their eligibility to vote in that precinct and fill out a voter reidentification form to be used for updating the state voter registration list.
• If the voter is found to be ineligible to vote or cast their ballot in the incorrect precinct, the ballot will not be counted.

(2) "An inspector has knowledge that the individual is not entitled to vote at that precinct and challenges the individual."

• "[T]he inspector shall sign a statement under penalty of perjury setting forth facts which the inspector believes to support his or her belief that the individual is not qualified to vote in the precinct in which the voter is seeking to vote."

(3) "The individual is required to comply with the voter identification provisions of Section 17-10-1 but is unable to do so."

• "[T]he identification, including the address and telephone number of the voter, must be provided to the board of registrars no later than 5:00 P.M. on the Friday following the election."
• "If the voter fails to provide identification to the board of registrars by 5:00 P.M. on the Friday following the election, the voter's ballot shall not be counted."

(4) "A federal or state court order extends the time for closing the polls beyond that established by state law and the individual votes during the extended period of time."

• "[T]he provisional ballots shall be segregated from other provisional ballots into a separate sealed container for such purpose and shall be counted, tabulated, and canvassed only pursuant to the order of a court having proper jurisdiction."

(5) "The person has requested, but not voted, an absentee ballot."

• If a voter is found to have already voted by absentee ballot, their in-person provisional ballot will not be counted.

Was your provisional ballot counted?

Visit the secretary of state's Voter View website to check the status of your provisional ballot.

Primary election type

See also: Primary elections in Alabama

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Alabama uses an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Time off work for voting

In Alabama, employers must provide workers with time off to vote on election day under certain conditions. State law says the following:

“

Each employee in the state shall, upon reasonable notice to his or her employer, be permitted by his or her employer to take necessary time off from his or her employment to vote in any municipal, county, state, or federal political party primary or election for which the employee is qualified and registered to vote on the day on which the primary or election is held. The necessary time off shall not exceed one hour and if the hours of work of the employee commence at least two hours after the opening of the polls or end at least one hour prior to the closing of the polls, then the time off for voting as provided in this section shall not be available. The employer may specify the hours during which the employee may absent himself or herself as provided in this section.

”

Twenty-eight states require employers to grant employees time off to vote. Within these 28 states, policies vary as to whether that time off must be paid and how much notice must be given.

Electioneering

Alabama state law restricts anyone except voters and those assisting them, the judge of probate, the sheriff, precinct election officials, and poll watchers from being within 30 feet of the door to a polling place.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for people convicted of a felony

In Alabama, people convicted of a felony involving "moral turpitude," as defined by the state, are disqualified from voting. As of November 2025, Alabama state law identified 56 types of crimes involving moral turpitude. Click here for a complete list. Individuals convicted of a felony listed can apply to the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to have their voting eligibility restored upon completion of their sentence, including paying all fines, fees, and restitution ordered by a court, completion of their parole or probation, or if they have received a pardon.

As of November 2025, Alabama state law identified 16 crimes involving moral turpitude for which people convicted of a felony are permanently disqualified from voting. Click here for a complete list of permanently disqualifying felonies.

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.

Voter list maintenance

All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.

When names can be removed from the voter list

Alabama law states that each county board of registrars will remove names from the voter list if the person:

• dies
• becomes a nonresident of the state/county
• was declared mentally incompetent
• has been convicted of certain offenses (see above)
• otherwise becomes disqualified as an elector

The county boards of registrars receive information from the Alabama Criminal Justice Information System, the Office of Vital Statistics of the State Department of Health, clerks of the circuit and district courts, and probate judges to determine several of the above.

Every four years, county boards of registrars, or the secretary of state, obtain change-of-address information supplied by the United States Postal Service through the National Change of Address database, in addition to at least one other voter registration database, to identify voters who have potentially changed addresses.

The board of registrars must then either update the voter's registration if the new address is under the same jurisdiction, or mail a nonforwardable address confirmation postcard to the registered voter. If the card is returned indicating the voter may have moved, a second, forwardable postcard is sent on which the voter must confirm their address. If that card is returned after being filled out by the voter, the voter list is updated with the current address. If the card is not returned by the voter within 90 days or the notice is returned as undeliverable, that person's name is placed on the inactive list. If the voter does not vote in one of the subsequent two federal elections following being placed on the inactive list, their name is removed from the registration list.

Inactive voter list rules

Voters in Alabama are placed on inactive voter lists in the following circumstances:

• They have not responded to efforts by the board of registrar to confirm their address, as described above;
• They have not voted in the county in four years.

Voters on the inactive list can vote so long as they complete a reidentification form. State law says the following:

“

Each voter whose name is to be removed shall reidentify himself or herself by appearing in person before a registrar, or by appearing before the judge of probate, or either of the clerks in the office of the judge of probate, or through his or her representative before the board of registrars in regular session except that the following persons shall be entitled to reidentify by mail if they possess the qualifications of an elector and are not disqualified from voting under the constitution and laws of Alabama: Members of the Armed Forces of the United States, persons employed outside the United States, persons absent because of attendance at an institution of higher learning, and the spouses and children of such persons."

”

The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)

See also: Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)

According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records and other sources, to provide member states with reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Members fund ERIC. New members pay a one-time membership fee of $25,000, which is reserved for technology upgrades and other unanticipated expenses. Members also pay annual dues. Annual dues cover operating costs and are based, in part, on the citizen voting age population in each state."

Twenty-five states are participating members in the ERIC program. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have joined and participated in ERIC at some point.

As of November 2025, Alabama was not a participating member in ERIC.

Secretary of State Wes Allen (R) withdrew Alabama from ERIC on January 16, 2023, saying he would, “permanently cease to transmit any information regarding any citizen of the State of Alabama to [the] organization.”

Post-election auditing

Alabama state law does not require post-election audits.

Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.

Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.

Forty-six states and the District of Columbia require some form of post-election audit by law, excluding states with pilot programs. Of these, 39 states and the District of Columbia require traditional post-election audits, while three states require risk-limiting post-election audits, and three states require some other form of post-election audit, including procedural post-election audits.

Election administration authorities

State election officials

In Alabama, the secretary of state is the state's chief election official. There is no state board of elections or equivalent authority. The secretary of state is elected by popular vote every four years.

Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

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Election policy ballot measures

See also: Elections and campaigns on the ballot and List of Alabama ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Alabama.

1. Alabama Utilities in Tuskegee, Amendment 6 (2008)
2. Alabama State Senate Elections, Amendment 2 (1932)
3. Alabama Primary Election Votes, Amendment 3 (1944)
4. Alabama Voter Registration in Madison County (May 1972)
5. Alabama Constitutional Change Applying to One County Amendment (1982)
6. Alabama Macon County Board of Education Elections, Amendment 3 (2006)
7. Alabama Amendment 1, Citizenship Requirement for Voting Measure (2020)
8. Alabama Amendment 4, Prohibit Changes to Election Conduct Laws within Six Months of General Elections Amendment (2022)

Recent legislation related to election administration in Alabama

The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Alabama. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official bill name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Sponsor party
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.

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Ballot access

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Alabama

In order to get on the ballot in Alabama, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Alabama. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

Redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Alabama

Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Alabama's seven United States Representatives and 140 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

Alabama was apportioned seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census.

On October 5, 2023, a three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama approved a new congressional district map. The map created a new district with a 48.7% Black voting-age population. In its decision, the panel said that "this plan satisfies all constitutional and statutory requirements while hewing as closely as reasonably possible to the Alabama legislature’s 2023 Plan."

A three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama ruled on September 5, 2023, that the revised congressional district boundaries that the Alabama legislature enacted on July 21, 2023, were not in accordance with the Voting Rights Act. The state adopted the revised congressional map after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on June 8, 2023, that the state's congressional redistricting plan adopted on November 4, 2021, violated the Voting Rights Act and had to be redrawn to include a second majority-Black district. The federal district court's order said, "this Court concluded that the 2023 Plan did not remedy the likely Section 2 violation found by this Court and affirmed by the Supreme Court. We, therefore, preliminarily enjoined Secretary Allen from using the 2023 Plan in Alabama’s upcoming 2024 congressional elections."

On August 22, 2025, the district court struck down the state senate map as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. On November 17, 2025, the court imposed a remedial map and ordered the state to use it in the 2026 and 2030 elections.

Alabama enacted state legislative maps for the state Senate and House of Representatives on Nov. 4, 2021, after Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed the proposals into law. Senators approved the Senate map on Nov. 1 with a 25-7 vote. Representatives approved the Senate map on Nov. 3 with a 76-26 vote. For the House proposal, representatives voted 68-35 in favor on Nov. 1 and senators followed on Nov. 3 with a 22-7 vote. These maps took effect for Alabama's 2022 legislative elections.

Click here for more information on maps enacted after the 2020 census.

HIGHLIGHTS

Following the 2020 United States Census, Alabama was apportioned seven congressional districts, which was unchanged from the number it had after the 2010 census.

Alabama's House of Representatives is made up of 105 districts; Alabama's State Senate is made up of 35 districts.

The Alabama State Legislature is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines.

State process

See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures

The Alabama State Legislature is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a single redistricting plan. State legislative district lines must be approved in the first legislative session following the United States Census. There is no statutory deadline for congressional redistricting. The governor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.

The Alabama Constitution requires that state legislative district lines be contiguous. In addition, the state constitution mandates that state Senate districts "follow county lines except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements."

In 2000, according to All About Redistricting, the legislative committee charged with redistricting "adopted guidelines ... asking that [congressional] districts be contiguous, reasonably compact, follow county lines where possible, and maintain communities of interest to the extent feasible." In addition, the committee agreed to "attempt to avoid contests between incumbents." Similar guidelines apply to state legislative redistricting. At its discretion, the state legislature may change these guidelines, which are non-binding.

Contact information

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Alabama can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Alabama County Boards of Registrars

Click here for a list

Alabama Secretary of State, Elections Division

Physical Address: 600 Dexter Ave, Suite E-206

Montgomery, Alabama 36130-3008

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5616

Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5616

Phone: 334-242-7210

Toll free: 1-800-274-8683

Fax: 334-242-2444

Website: https://www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes

Alabama Ethics Commission

Physical Address: 100 North Union Street, Suite 104

Montgomery, Alabama 36104

Mailing address: P.O. Box 4840

Montgomery, Alabama 36103-4840

Phone: 334-242-2997

Fax: 334-242-0248

Email: info@ethics.alabama.gov

Website: https://ethics.alabama.gov

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 301-563-3919

Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov

Website: https://www.eac.gov

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See also

• Election laws and legislation in Alabama
• State of Election Administration Legislation Reports
• Factors affecting the speed of ballot counting and delivery of unofficial election results
• Voting in Alabama
• Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Alabama
• Redistricting in Alabama

Elections in Alabama

• Alabama elections, 2025
• Alabama elections, 2024
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• Alabama elections, 2021
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• Alabama elections, 2017
• Alabama elections, 2016
• Alabama elections, 2015
• Alabama elections, 2014

External links

• Alabama Secretary of State - Elections
• Voter View portal

Footnotes

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

Alabama requires that an applicant be a citizen of the United States who resides in Alabama. A voter must be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day. A citizen cannot have been barred from registering due to a felony conviction and cannot have been declared mentally incompetent by a court.

Voters cannot register during the 14 days preceding an election. According to the Alabama Secretary of State's website:

“

You may download the State of Alabama Postcard Voter Registration Application from this site. The form can be printed on your printer, filled out, and then mailed into your local voter registration officials. Click here for more information. You may also request a postcard voter registration from this office by e-mail. Click here to request a voter registration form. Voter registration is also available from your local County Board of Registrars. Click here to get the address and phone number for the board of registrars office in your county. You may also obtain voter registration services at the following state and local government offices and agencies: Driver's licensing office County and select municipal public libraries Department of Human Resources WIC Program, Department of Public Health Medicaid Agency Department of Rehabilitation Services The postcard voter registration form is also available at: Public 4-year universities Select private 4-year universities Driver's licensing office County and select municipal public libraries Department of Human Resources WIC Program, Department of Public Health Medicaid Agency Department of Rehabilitation Services

”

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Alabama does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Alabama has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Alabama does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Alabama, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

An Alabama state law, passed in 2011, requires people to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. However, as of November 2025, the law had not been implemented.

In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot require proof of citizenship with federal registration forms. That meant states would need to create a separate registration system for state elections to require proof of citizenship. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) said the following: "That’s an election administration nightmare ... You’d have to have two sets of poll books, one for federal elections and one for state elections, and that just doesn’t make any sense to me."

An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Alabama Secretary of State's Voter View website allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Alabama requires voters to present photo identification at the polls. The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of November 2025. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Alabama Secretary of State.

“

Valid Alabama Driver’s License (not expired or has been expired less than 60 days) Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Driver’s License Valid Alabama Nondriver ID (not expired or has been expired less than 60 days) Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Nondriver ID Valid Alabama Photo Voter ID Card Valid State-Issued ID (Alabama or any other state) Examples Valid AL Department of Corrections Release - Temporary ID (Photo Required) Valid AL Movement/Booking Sheet from Prison/Jail System (Photo Required) Valid Pistol Permit (Photo Required) Valid Federal-Issued ID Valid US passport Valid Employee ID from Federal Government, State of Alabama, County, Municipality, Board, or other entity of this state Valid student or employee ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools) Digital student ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools) Valid student or employee ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state Digital student ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state Valid Military ID Valid Tribal ID

”

To view Alabama statute pertaining to voter identification, click here.

A voter can obtain a free identification card from the Alabama Secretary of State, a county registrar's office, or a mobile location. The mobile location schedule can be accessed here.

Absentee voting

A voter is eligible to vote absentee/mail-in in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:

• The voter will be absent from the county on Election Day.
• The voter is ill or has a disability that prevents a trip to the polling place.
• The voter is physically incapacitated and cannot access their polling place due to a life-altering disorder that affects their ability to perform manual tasks, stand for any length of time, walk unassisted, see, hear, or speak. The voter must also be 65 years of age or older or have a disability.
• The voter is a registered 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.
• The voter is an appointed election officer or poll watcher at a polling place other than his or her regular polling place.
• The voter works a required shift of 10 hours or more that coincides with polling hours.
• The voter is a caregiver to a family member to the second degree of kinship who is confined to their home.
• The voter is incarcerated and has not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude.

Absentee/mail-in ballot application must be received by the seventh day prior to the election if delivered by mail, and by the fifth day before an election if delivered by hand.

In the following circumstances, the deadline to apply for an absentee/mail-in ballot is 5 p.m. the day before the election:

• The voter is required by an employer under unforeseen circumstances to be out of the county on Election Day for an emergency business trip.
• The voter is a caregiver of a person who requires emergency treatment by a licensed physician within five days before an election.
• The voter has a family member to the second degree of kinship by affinity or consanguinity die within five days before an election.

Alabama also provides for medical emergency absentee/mail-in voting for a voter who has a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician within 5 days of an election. A voted medical emergency absentee/mail-in ballot must be returned no later than noon on election day.

State profile

Demographic data for Alabama
	Alabama	U.S.
Total population:	4,853,875	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	50,645	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	68.8%	73.6%
Black/African American:	26.4%	12.6%
Asian:	1.2%	5.1%
Native American:	0.5%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	1.7%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	4%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	84.3%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	23.5%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$43,623	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	23.3%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Alabama. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Alabama

Alabama voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

More Alabama coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Alabama
• United States congressional delegations from Alabama
• Public policy in Alabama
• Endorsers in Alabama
• Alabama fact checks
• More...

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states. No counties in Alabama are Pivot Counties.

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Alabama with 62.1 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 34.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Alabama voted Democratic 53.33 percent of the time and Republican 40 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Alabama voted Republican all five times.

See also

Alabama government:

• Alabama state executive offices
• Alabama State Legislature
• Alabama courts

Elections:

• Alabama state executive official elections, 2018
• Gubernatorial elections, 2018
• Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2018
• Attorney General elections, 2018
• Secretary of State elections, 2018
• State executive official elections, 2018, 2017, 2016

Ballotpedia exclusives:

• State executives compensation
• State of the state addresses
• Trifecta control of state government

External links

Suggest a link

• Attorney General of Alabama official website

Footnotes

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