Deadline looming for Alabamians to register, request absentee ballots for June 5 primary election

After months of candidates crossing the state, debating each other and planting their campaign signs along highways, Alabama voters will get their chance to pick their major party favorites on primary election day, Tuesday, June 5.

But before that happens, Alabamians who want to vote need to register – and time is running out.

Monday, May 21, is the final day to register for the June 5 primary, when the state Democratic and Republican parties will select their nominees for a host of offices, from Congress to governor, to legislative seats, to county offices and local judgeships.

To register, Alabamians can submit a registration form online via the Alabama secretary of state’s website. Or they can mail a completed registration form, also available on the secretary of state’s website, to their respective county board of registrars. Folks can also walk in to their county’s board of registrars to register. If you mail in the registration, the form must be postmarked by May 21.

For voters who will be out of town on June 5 or who are physically unable to make it to the polls, the last day to request an absentee ballot is May 31. Absentee ballots must be mailed or hand-delivered to your respective county’s absentee ballot manager. If you are mailing in an absentee ballot, it must be postmarked by June 4. Learn more about absentee voting in Alabama here.

Polls open on June 5 at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. To cast a ballot in Alabama, you must have a valid form of photo identification. These include a valid driver’s license or non-driver ID, a current U.S. passport, a military ID, state or federal government, among others. Learn more here. You can confirm your polling location on the Alabama secretary of state’s website or by contacting your county board of registrars office.

Depending on the outcome June 5, some candidates could be forced into a primary runoff, scheduled for July 17, to determine the party nominee. The general election, in which party nominees and independent or third-party candidates face each other for the final decision by voters, is set for Tuesday, Nov. 6.

(Courtesy Alabama News Center)