Secretary of State John Merrill explains straight ticket voting procedure

In a recent press release, Secretary of State John Merrill’s office explained the guidelines for straight ticket (straight party) voting.

Alabamians who wish to cast a vote for all of the candidates on the ballot in either the Republican or Democratic Party may do so by simply filling in the bubble next to their party preference.

“However, if a voter wishes to vote for any candidate outside the party that they have chosen, they may do so by marking the space next to the candidate’s name. Regardless of whether the voter cast a straight party vote or not, filling in the bubble next to a candidate’s name will be counted as the voter’s choice in that contest,” the press release explained.

The office also released other information relevant to Tuesday’s general election.

First, remember that state law requires Alabama voters to have a specific type of photo identification at the polls in order to vote.

Voters may obtain a free government issued ID from the state by visiting their local county board of registrar’s offices which are open the same hours as the county courthouse in each county. If a voter is unable to visit their respective registrar’s office, they can contact the Secretary of State’s Office at 334-242-7200 to request a home visit in which a staff member will visit them at home to produce a free photo ID for voting purposes.

Alabamians can check their voter registration online here, locate their polling place here and view a sample ballot here.

Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m on Tuesday

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn.

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