KYR: While Voting

Tips to avoid problems at the polls:

• If you are eligible, you can vote before election day by completing an absentee ballot. 
• Take a minute to find your polling place online or by calling the Alabama Secretary of State at 1-800-274-8683.
• If you can, vote early in the day to avoid long lines. 
• Make sure you have your photo identification with you. Accepted forms include a passport, driver's license, or voter ID card. 

Learn more about voting in 2020.

While at the polls, you have the right to:

• Vote with privacy or confidentiality. 
• Ask for and/or receive help when going to vote, as long as that person is not an employer or union representative. 
• Be free from intimidation from campaigners. They must be at least 30 feet from the polling place.
• Have a fully ADA compliant and accessible polling place. If you do not, you may be eligible to vote by absentee ballot.
• Cast a ballot even if your voting status is "inactive." You will simply be asked to update your voter registration information.
• Complete a provisional ballot if they cannot find your name on the voter rolls.
• Contact the Alabama Secretary of State at 1-800-274-8683 to lodge a complaint or if you think your rights have been violated.

On Crossover Voting

The Alabama legislature passed a law making crossover voting a class C felony. This is the act of casting a ballot in one party's primary and then casting a ballot in a different party's primary run-off.

• You can vote in any primary during any election as long as you are a registered voter in Alabama. Whether Democrat, Republican, or Independent, you can vote in any party primary, regardless of how you voted in any previous elections.
• If you vote Republican in the primary, you cannot vote Democrat if there is a primary run-off. If you vote Democrat in the primary, you cannot vote Republican if there is a primary run-off. However, if you did not vote in the primary, you can vote in either party's primary run-off. 
• Polling places are charged with recording which primary you vote in and checking to ensure you are not crossover voting. However, if you are told you cannot vote in the runoff because of party affiliation and you believe you were listed incorrectly, you can request to cast a provisional ballot. 
• The crossover ban only impacts a single primary, so after the primary is over, voters can choose any candidate on the ballot during the general election. Voters can also choose a different primary to vote in during future elections. 

Page last revised: June 24, 2020