(Our view) Make sure your vote counts by registering
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 7, 2024
To vote in Alabama’s March 5 Primary Election, you must be registered to vote no later than two weeks prior. But why wait? We challenge you to make sure you are registered to cast a ballot well before the deadline.
In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as many as one in four Americans reported not being registered to vote, with more than 600,000 non-voters specifically citing a registration problem as their reason for not casting a ballot.
A study by the Knight Foundation found more than one in four unregistered voters (27 percent) reported not being registered because they didn’t know how, they kept forgetting, they didn’t have time, were too busy, or they recently moved. Among unregistered voters ages 18-24, this number was even higher: 42 percent.
Information from the Alabama Secretary of State outlines the details of registration.
Voter registration is governed in Alabama by state law and the federal National Voter Registration Act (commonly known as “motor voter”).
Qualifications
To register to vote in the State of Alabama, an individual must meet the following qualifications:
• Be a United States citizen
• Reside in Alabama
• Be at least 18 years old
• Have not been convicted of a disqualifying felony (or have rights restored)
• Have not been legally declared “mentally incompetent” by a court
Deadline for registering to vote
Voter registration is closed for the 14 days before an election.
Obtaining a voter registration application
You may download the State of Alabama Postcard Voter Registration Application from www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter-registration/general-info. The form can be printed on your printer, filled out, and then mailed into your local voter registration officials. Visit the website above for more information.
Voter registration is also available from your local County Board of Registrars.
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
A 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
If you have questions about voter registration in Alabama, you may also contact officials by phone or by mail: Voter Registration State Capitol, 600 Dexter Avenue, Room E-210, Montgomery AL 36130; or by calling 334-242-7210.
Every eligible American voter should have the option to exercise his or her right to be heard at the ballot box, and that starts with registering to vote.
CNHI News Service