Alabama Secretary of State works with Legislature to provide voter IDs

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — As the presidential election gears up in preparation for primary season in just a few months, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and members of the Alabama Legislature to provide three separate days for voter registration and state I.D. drives

Since June 3, 2014, to participate in an election, a citizen must be registered to vote and present a valid form of photo ID.

The relatively new law was rooted in a Republican campaign promise in 2010, the year that the party took control of the State House for the first time Reconstruction. It passed 2011 and first went into use during last year’s primary elections.

According to the law, any of the following documents qualify as a valid voter ID:
• Driver’s license
• Alabama photo voter ID card;
• State issued ID (any state);
• Federal issued ID or US passport
• Employee ID from Federal Government, State of Alabama, County, Municipality, Board, or other entity of this state
• Student or employee ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools)
• Military ID
• Tribal ID.

To receive a free Alabama photo voter ID card, a citizen must be a registered voter and must not have one of the valid forms of photo ID listed above.

When applying for the free Alabama photo voter ID, a voter must by law show a photo ID document or a non-photo identity document that contains full legal name and date of birth; documentation showing the voter’s date of birth; documentation showing the person is a registered voter; and documentation showing the voter’s name and address as reflected in the voter registration record. A citizen’s name, address, and voter registration status can be verified by Secretary of State staff, using the statewide voter registration system.

Here are the locations and times of upcoming registration events:
• August 13, 2015, in Cleburne County at 10:00 a.m. in the Ranburne Town Hall
• August 15, 2015, in Franklin County at 10:00 a.m. at the Watermelon Festival
• August 17, 2015, in Tuscaloosa County at 10:00 a.m. in the Bobby Miller Activity Center.

To obtain additional information on free voter ID cards, voters can call 1-800-274-VOTE or visit www.alabamavoterid.com. The website also includes a listing of the mobile site schedule.