Alabama elections, 2023

Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Our goal is to inform people about politics by providing accurate and objective information about politics at all levels of government. We are firmly committed to neutrality in our content.

This page provides information on the 2023 elections in Alabama, including the offices on the ballot covered by Ballotpedia, election dates, and frequently asked questions.

Election dates

Statewide election dates in Alabama are listed below. For more dates, please see the elections calendar.

Statewide election dates

There were no statewide elections in Alabama this year. See the Ballotpedia calendar page for more election dates.

Offices on the ballot

Noteworthy elections

So far, Ballotpedia has not highlighted any elections in this state. Have a suggestion of one we should cover in more detail? Click here and let us know.

Frequently asked questions

When are the polls open?

7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.^[1]
See State Poll Opening and Closing Times (2023) for more information

Where can I find election results?

Election results are posted on Ballotpedia's election overview pages, as well as the relevant candidate pages. You can find links to the current election overview pages in the "Offices on the ballot" section of this page.

How do primaries work in Alabama?

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Alabama uses an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.^[2][3][4]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

How do I register to vote?

Check your voter registration status here.

Alabama requires that an applicant be a citizen of the United States who resides in Alabama. A voter must be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day. A citizen cannot have been barred from registering due to a felony conviction and cannot have been declared mentally incompetent by a court.^[5]

Voters cannot register during the 14-day period preceding an election. According to the Alabama Secretary of State's website:^[5]

Is there an early voting period?

See also: Early voting

Alabama does not permit early voting.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.

Who is eligible for absentee voting?

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

The table below displays absentee voting information specific to Alabama's 2024 election cycle.

A voter is eligible to vote absentee/mail-in in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:^[7]

• The voter will be absent from the county on Election Day.
• The voter is ill or has a disability that prevents a trip to the polling place.
• The voter is a registered voter living outside the county, such as a member of the armed forces, a voter employed outside the United States, a college student, or a spouse or child of such a person.
• The voter is an appointed election officer or poll watcher at a polling place other than his or her regular polling place.
• The voter works a required shift of 10 hours or more that coincides with polling hours.
• The voter is a caregiver to a family member to the second degree of kinship who is confined to their home.
• The voter is incarcerated and has not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude.

Absentee/mail-in ballot application must be received by the seventh day prior to the election if delivered by mail, and by the fifth day before an election if delivered by hand.

In the following circumstances, the deadline to apply for an absentee/mail-in ballot is 5 p.m. the day before the election:

• The voter is required by an employer under unforeseen circumstances to be out of the county on Election Day for an emergency business trip.
• The voter has a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician.
• The voter is a caregiver of a person who requires emergency treatment by a licensed physician within five days before an election.
• The voter has a family member to the second degree of kinship by affinity or consanguinity die within five days before an election.

Alabama also provides for medical emergency absentee/mail-in voting for a voter who has a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician within 5 days of an election. A voted medical emergency absentee/mail-in ballot must be returned no later than noon on election day.^[7]

What are the voter ID laws in Alabama?

See Voter identification laws by state.

How do I file to run for office?

See Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Alabama for information on how to run for state or federal office.

What does Ballotpedia cover?

Ballotpedia's coverage extends to all elections on the federal level, all gubernatorial, state legislative, statewide ballot measure, and statewide judicial elections, as well as many other types of state executive offices. Ballotpedia also covers all elections in the U.S. territories, but not elections in other countries.

Local election coverage includes comprehensive ballot coverage for municipal and judicial elections in the top 100 cities by population and races for the large counties that overlap them. In the state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities, it includes coverage of mayoral, city council, and district attorney elections. It also includes school board elections in the top 200 largest school districts by enrollment, all California local ballot measures, and notable local ballot measures from across the nation.

Please note that Ballotpedia's election coverage does not encompass all local offices. Election information is not published in a timely manner for many local offices, which makes it infeasible to gather the necessary data given our limited resources. However, Ballotpedia's coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what local elections we are covering in your area.

How do I contact Ballotpedia with a question?

Email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

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Redistricting following the 2020 census

This section lists major events in the post-2020 census redistricting cycle in reverse chronological order. Major events include the release of apportionment data, the release of census population data, the introduction of formal map proposals, the enactment of new maps, and noteworthy court challenges. Click the dates below for additional information.

• October 5, 2023: A three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama approved new congressional districts.
• September 26, 2023: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the state's request to use the district boundaries overturned by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
• September 25, 2023: Special Master Richard Allen submitted three potential congressional district maps to a panel of three federal judges for consideration.
• September 5, 2023: Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen's office said it would appeal the federal court's decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• September 5, 2023: A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama overturned the state's revised congressional district boundaries for not being in accordance with the Voting Rights Act.
• July 28, 2023: The plaintiffs in Allen v. Milligan objected to the revised congressional district boundaries that the state enacted on July 21, 2023.^[8]
• July 21, 2023: The state Senate and state House approved redrawn congressional boundary proposals, and Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed the redrawn maps into law.
• June 20, 2023: The three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama set a deadline for the state to enact its redrawn congressional map for July 21, 2023.
• June 15, 2023: Both parties to Allen v. Milligan filed motions with the three-judge panel overseeing the case asking that the legislature have until July 21, 2023 to redraw the state's congressional district boundaries.
• June 8, 2023: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the congressional district boundaries violated the Voting Rights Act and must be redrawn to include a second majority-black district.
• Feb. 7, 2022: The U.S. Supreme Court stayed the preliminary injunction issued by a federal district court on Jan. 24, 2022, and allowed the state to use the congressional district boundaries enacted on Nov. 4, 2021, to be used during the 2022 election cycle.
• Jan. 24, 2022: A three-judge federal court panel issued a preliminary injunction blocking the state from using the congressional map adopted on November 4, 2021, from being used for Alabama's 2022 elections.
• Nov. 15, 2021: Two lawsuits were filed in federal court challenging the enacted congressional and state legislative maps.
• Nov. 4, 2021: Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed the proposed draft maps into law. A lawsuit was filed challenging the congressional maps.
• Nov. 3, 2021: The state Senate and state House approved congressional and legislative district boundary proposals.
• Oct. 25, 2021: State Rep. Chris England (D) released images of the first congressional and state legislative draft maps.
• Sept. 16, 2021: The U.S. Census Bureau released data from the 2020 census in an easier-to-use format to state redistricting authorities and the public.
• Aug. 12, 2021: The U.S. Census Bureau delivered redistricting data to states in a legacy format.
• April 26, 2021: The U.S. Census Bureau delivered apportionment counts.

Footnotes

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