Democratic Party primaries 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.
Primary elections—in which registered voters select a candidate whom they believe should run on their party's ticket in the general election—can reflect internal conflict over the direction of a party.
Heading into the 2018 election, the Democratic Party sought to increase its power at the state and federal levels under the Trump administration. Its membership, however, disagreed on several major policy areas, including healthcare, free trade, education funding, a federal job guarantee, and a proposal to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[1][2]
Candidates endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee won 31 of 33 primaries in 2018.[3] Democratic Socialists of America member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D) primary victory over incumbent Joseph Crowley (D) in New York's 14th Congressional District was a notable victory for progressive activists.[4][5][6]
Democrats also won a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama for the first time in 30 years and flipped longtime Republican seats in the Wisconsin state Senate and Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District. A record number of Republican congressional retirements also led to large Democratic fields for typically non-competitive seats.[7]
This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that took place in Alabama on June 5, 2018. In addition, the page provides context for understanding the state party apparatus.
Federal elections
U.S. House
District 1
Democratic primary candidates
District 2
Democratic primary candidates
District 3
Democratic primary candidates
District 4
Democratic primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 5
Democratic primary candidatesDistrict 6
Democratic primary candidates
District 7
Democratic primary candidates- Terri Sewell (Incumbent) ✔
State elections
Alabama Party Control: 1992-2026
Six years of Democratic trifectas • Sixteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Gubernatorial election
Democratic primary candidates
Lieutenant gubernatorial election
Democratic primary candidates
Attorney general election
Democratic primary candidates
Secretary of state election
Democratic primary candidates
State party overview
- See also: Democratic Party of Alabama
| Party control in Alabama | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor | Republican |
| Senate | Republican |
| House | Republican |
| Click here for party control in all 50 states |
Alabama has a Republican trifecta and a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and both chambers of the state legislature.
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws. The following table displays the Democratic Party of Alabama's revenue over a six-year period from 2011 to 2016. Revenue totals are broken down by account type and year. The data was compiled through publicly available state and federal campaign finance reports.
| Democratic Party of Alabama revenue, 2011 to 2016[8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Federal account | State account(s) | Total |
| 2011 | $394,161.98 | $166,190.00 | $560,351.98 |
| 2012 | $370,321.76 | $80,375.97 | $450,697.73 |
| 2013 | $191,746.53 | $0.00 | $191,746.53 |
| 2014 | $160,317.76 | $260,158.80 | $420,476.56 |
| 2015 | $184,960.45 | $252,305.79 | $437,266.24 |
| 2016 | $203,407.22 | $19,737.01 | $223,144.23 |
Alabama compared to other states
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following maps display total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic and Republican state party affiliates from 2011 to 2016. The blue map displays Democratic state parties and the red map displays Republican state parties. Click on a state below to view the state party's revenue per capita totals:
Total Democratic and Republican state political party revenue per capita in the United States, 2011-2016
Primary election scheduling
Alabama was one of eight states to hold a primary election on June 5, 2018.
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.[9]
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."[10] Anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote.[11]
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.[12]
Voters cannot register during the 14 days preceding an election. According to the Alabama Secretary of State's website:[12]
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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:
The postcard voter registration form is also available at:
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Automatic registration
- See also: Automatic voter registration
Alabama does not practice automatic voter registration.[14]
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.[15]
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
An Alabama state law, passed in 2011, requires people to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.[16] However, as of February 2026, the law had not been implemented.[17][12]
An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.[18]
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.[19] Six states — Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring individuals provide proof of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. Two states, Georgia and Mississippi, require a person provide proof of citizenship if their citizenship status cannot be verified by other means. 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.
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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.[20] The mobile location schedule can be accessed here.
Early voting
Alabama does not permit early voting.
Early voting allows citizens to cast their ballots in person at a polling place before 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. Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire do not offer no-excuse early voting.
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:[21]
- 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.[21]
See also
| Federal primaries in Alabama | State primaries in Alabama | Alabama state party apparatus | Alabama voter information |
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Footnotes
- ↑ CNN, "Why a 'federal jobs guarantee' is gaining steam with Democrats," April 26, 2018
- ↑ The Atlantic, "What ‘Abolish ICE’ Actually Means," July 11, 2018
- ↑ CNBC, "Despite Ocasio-Cortez upset, Democratic primaries have not gone as far left as some argue," June 28, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "There Is a Revolution on the Left. Democrats Are Bracing." July 21, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "Democrats Are Moving Left. Don’t Panic," July 23, 2018
- ↑ Time, "How Democrats in Congress Responded to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Surprise Win," June 28, 2018
- ↑ CNN, "9 Democratic primaries to watch in 2018," October 26, 2017
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate and Committee Viewer," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Alabama Republican Party and State Democratic Executive Committee of Alabama)
- ↑ The Alabama Legislature, "Ala. Code § 17-13-7," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ The Alabama Legislature, "Ala. Code § 17-9-6," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "2024 Voter Guide," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Alabama Secretary of State, "Voter Registration General Information," accessed January 27, 2026
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Automatic Voter Registration," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Same-Day Voter Registration," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ The Alabama Legislature, "Ala. Code § 31-13-28," accessed January 27, 2026
- ↑ Phone conversation between Amée LaTour and Jeff Elrod, supervisor of voter registration with the Alabama Secretary of State office.
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "State of Alabama Voter Registration Form," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Mobile ID Locations," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Alabama Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed November 24, 2025
