Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots in Alabama, 2020
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In August 2020, The New York Times estimated that 80 million Americans would vote by absentee/mail-in ballot in November 2020. That would have been more than double the number who did so in November 2016.[1] The processes states use to count absentee/mail-in ballots have come under closer inspection by state officials, candidates, political parties, and the media.
This article describes the rules in Alabama for processing, counting, and rejecting absentee/mail-in ballots in effect for the November 2020 election. It includes:
- How ballots are processed and counted
- Whether ballots can be challenged
- Conditions for rejecting a ballot
- Whether voters can correct mistakes on a ballot
The 2020 election took place against a backdrop of uncertainty. Our readers had questions about what to expect in elections at all levels of government, from the casting of ballots to the certification of final results. Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk was designed to answer those questions.
Processing and counting ballots
Upon receiving completed absentee/mail-in ballots, election officials must first process the ballots before they can be counted. Processing generally entails verifying voter signatures and physically preparing ballots for tabulation. Processing practices can vary widely from state to state. Counting entails the actual tabulation of votes.
The table below highlights key dates and deadlines related to absentee/mail-in voting in Alabama for the November 2020 election.
Processing ballots
Officials in Alabama began processing absentee/mail-in ballots at noon on November 3, 2020. As of November 2020, Alabama law included the following provision for processing absentee/mail-in ballots:
| “ | The election officials shall then call the name of each voter casting an absentee ballot with poll watchers present as may be provided under the laws of Alabama and shall examine each affidavit envelope to determine if the signature of the voter has been appropriately witnessed. If the witnessing of the signature and the information in the affidavit establish that the voter is entitled to vote by absentee ballot, then the election officials shall certify the findings, open each affidavit envelope, and deposit the plain envelope containing the absentee ballot into a sealed ballot box.[2] | ” |
See law: Alabama Code §17-11-10
Counting ballots
Officials began counting absentee/mail-in ballots when polls close on November 3, 2020. As of November 2020, Alabama law included the following provision for counting absentee/mail-in ballots:
| “ | Upon closing of the polls, the absentee ballots shall be counted and otherwise handled in all respects as if the absentee voter were present and voting in person.[2] | ” |
See law: Alabama Code §17-11-10
Alabama law included the following provision for who may count absentee/mail-in ballots:
| “ | For every primary, general, special, or municipal election, there shall be appointed one inspector and at least three clerks, named and notified as are other election officials under the general laws of the state, who shall meet, at the regular time of closing of the election on that day, in the courthouse, or municipal building for municipal elections, as designated by the absentee election manager for the purpose of counting and returning the ballots cast by absentee voters. The returns from the absentee precinct shall be made as required by law for all other boxes. It shall be unlawful for any election official or other person to publish or make known to anyone the results of the count of absentee votes before the polls close.[2] | ” |
See law: Code of Alabama, Section 17-11-11 - Officials for counting of absentee ballots; poll watchers.
Alabama law included the following provision for poll watchers:
| “ | Any person or organization authorized to appoint poll watchers under Sections 17-8-7 and 17-13-11 may have a single watcher present at the counting of absentee ballots, with the rights as are conferred by the sections and by any other provisions of state law.[2] | ” |
See law: Code of Alabama, Section 17-11-11 - Officials for counting of absentee ballots; poll watchers.
Challenging ballots
Absentee/mail-in ballots may be challenged in an attempt to prevent the ballot from being counted. Ballots may be challenged for a variety of reasons, including: allegations that the voter is not qualified to vote in the election, the ballot was not received by the stated deadline, or that the voter had already voted in the same election. The methods and reasons for challenging ballots vary and are provided in state law. States without such provisions do not allow challenging absentee/mail-in ballots.
As of November 2020, Alabama did not have a provision for challenging ballots in state law.
Rejecting ballots
As of November 2020, Alabama law included the following provisions for rejecting absentee/mail-in ballots:
| “ | 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 printed thereon is unsigned by the voter or unmarked, and no ballot envelope or ballot therein 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 therein may be removed or counted.[2] | ” |
| “ | No court or other election tribunal shall allow the counting of an absentee ballot with respect to which the voter's affidavit signature or mark is not witnessed by the signatures of two witnesses 18 years of age or older or a notary public, or other officer, including a military commissioned officer, authorized to acknowledge oaths, prior to being delivered or mailed to the absentee election manager.[2] | ” |
See law: Alabama Code §17-11-10
Ballot curing
Ballot curing refers to the process by which voters can correct mistakes—such as a missing or mismatched signature—with an absentee/mail-in ballot so that the ballot can be counted. Ballot curing provisions lay out this process in state law. States without such provisions do not count absentee/mail-in ballots with errors.[3]
As of November 2020, Alabama did not have a ballot curing provision in state law.
Rules in other states
Click on a state below to view information on processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots in that state.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
More frequently asked questions about the 2020 election
Click on a question below to read the answer:
- General election information
- Who runs elections in the United States?
- Why do states have different election rules?
- What methods do states use to prevent election fraud?
- Do you have to vote for everything on your ballot?
- What happens if you mark outside the lines or use the wrong pen/pencil?
- What is a spoiled ballot?
- What is a write-in candidate?
- How can I check the status of my ballot?
- Can I take a ballot selfie?
- Presidential election
- What happens if a presidential candidate declares victory in the 2020 election before results are final?
- Can presidential candidates win the election if they have already conceded?
- What are the steps and deadlines for electing the President of the United States?
- What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College?
- What are faithless electors in the Electoral College?
- What happens if a presidential nominee becomes incapacitated before the election?
- Can members of Congress object to Electoral College results?
- Processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots
- What is the life cycle of an absentee/mail-in ballot?
- What happens if I vote by mail and want to change my ballot at a later date?
- What happens if someone votes by mail and then tries to vote in person?
- How do states protect and verify absentee/mail-in ballots?
- How do election workers match signatures?
- Are results reported on election night coming from in-person or absentee/mail-in votes?
- Do states report how many mail-in/absentee ballots are outstanding on election night?
- Do absentee/mail-in ballots take longer to count than in-person ballots?
- What happens if someone votes by mail-in ballot or absentee ballot and subsequently passes away before Election Day?
- Disputing election results
- How will election recounts work?
- How close does an election have to be to trigger an automatic recount?
- Can a candidate or voter request a recount?
- Who pays for recounts and contested elections?
- What are poll watchers?
- What does it mean to challenge a voter's eligibility, and who can do it?
- What is a redo election?
- Who can file election-related lawsuits?
- What are the reasons to call a redo election?
- Who can call a redo election?
- Can a redo be held for a presidential election?
- Transitions of power and taking office
- Who is the president if election results are unknown by January 20, 2021?
- Who serves in Congress if election results are unknown by January 2021?
- Who serves in a state or local government if election results are unknown?
- What happens if the winning presidential candidate becomes incapacitated before taking office?
- Articles about potential scenarios in the 2020 election
- U.S. Supreme Court actions affecting the November 3, 2020, general election
See also
- Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk
- Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk: Processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots
- Absentee/mail-in voting, 2020
Footnotes
- ↑ The New York Times, "Where Americans Can Vote by Mail in the 2020 Elections," August 14, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "VOPP: Table 15: States That Permit Voters to Correct Signature Discrepancies," September 21, 2020
