Alabama 2026 elections

Contests on the board in Alabama

The general-election contests the Ledger tracks in Alabama, each with the raters' current call, the newest public polling and the money reported.

Candidate profiles from Alabama

AL-SEN · Alabama

Barry Moore

Coffee County businessman, eight years in the Alabama House, three terms in Congress; Republican nominee for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2026.

Read Barry Moore's recordThe race

Key dates and deadlines

Read from the Alabama Secretary of State, Elections Division on Sep 17, 2026. The authority's own page, linked beside each date, is the final word — confirm it before you act.

• Voter registration deadlineMonday, October 19, 2026 is the voter registration deadline for the November 3, 2026 General Election; a voter who needs to update a registration because of a change of name or address must submit a new voter registration form prior to the registration deadline. The cut-off that day depends on the method: an electronic registration must be submitted before 11:59 PM, a mail-in form must be postmarked no later than October 19, and an in-person registration must be received before the close of business. Voter registration is closed during the 14 days before an election and on Election Day. sos.alabama.gov
• Online registration deadlineOctober 19, 2026, before 11:59 PM: a registration made electronically must be submitted before 11:59 PM on the registration deadline. The Voter Guide says online registration at alabamavotes.gov is for citizens who have a valid Alabama Driver's License or Non-Driver ID card. sos.alabama.gov
• Mail registration deadlinePostmarked no later than October 19, 2026: a mail-in voter registration form must be postmarked no later than the registration deadline. The completed form is mailed to the Board of Registrars office of the county where you live. sos.alabama.gov
• In-person registration deadlineOctober 19, 2026, before the close of business: a registration made in person must be received before the close of business on the registration deadline. The Voter Guide lists the Board of Registrars office in the county seat of your county of residence among the places to register. sos.alabama.gov
• Absentee voting beginsWednesday, September 9, 2026: absentee voting for the November 3, 2026 General Election began on this day, the Secretary of State announced. To obtain a ballot, a voter applies to the county's Absentee Election Manager (see the absentee voting rule). sos.alabama.gov
• Deadline to apply for an absentee ballot by mailTuesday, October 27, 2026 (7 days before the election): an absentee ballot application returned by U.S. Mail or commercial carrier must be received by your county's Absentee Election Manager by this date. An application returned in person by the voter has a later deadline, Thursday, October 29, 2026. sos.alabama.gov
• Deadline to return an absentee ballotBy mail: the ballot must be received by your county's Absentee Election Manager no later than noon on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026; the Secretary of State states this as a receipt deadline, not a postmark deadline, and recommends mailing absentee applications and ballots at least two weeks before the deadline for them to be received. By hand: the deadline is earlier — the close of business, and no later than 5 P.M., on Monday, November 2, 2026. Military and overseas (UOCAVA) voters have a separate rule (see that item). sos.alabama.gov
• Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026 — General Election. Official sample ballots are headed “General and Constitutional Amendment Election.” sos.alabama.gov
• Polling place hours on Election DayPolling places are open from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The Secretary of State's Voter Guide notes that polling places located in the Eastern Time Zone may be open from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. Eastern Time, and that anyone who attempts to join the voting line after 7:00 P.M. shall not be permitted to vote. sos.alabama.gov
• Deadline to apply for an absentee ballot in personThursday, October 29, 2026 (5 days before the election): an absentee ballot application returned by hand must be received in the office of your county's Absentee Election Manager by this date. After this date, only the emergency absentee applications described in the absentee voting rule remain. sos.alabama.gov
• Deadline to hand-deliver an absentee ballotMonday, November 2, 2026 (the day before the election): an absentee ballot returned by hand must be delivered by the voter and must be in the Absentee Election Manager's office by the close of business, but no later than 5 P.M. sos.alabama.gov
• Deadline to submit photo ID after a provisional ballotFriday, November 6, 2026, no later than 5 PM: a voter whose ballot became provisional due to lack of identification must provide identification, including the voter's address and telephone number, to the Board of Registrars by this deadline. The Voter Guide says that if proper ID is submitted by the deadline, the ballot will be counted as long as all other requirements were met. sos.alabama.gov
• Military and overseas voters: deadline to return an absentee ballotMilitary and other UOCAVA voters who return a ballot by mail must have it postmarked no later than Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026; such ballots must be accepted until noon on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, the 7th day after the election, if they meet the other absentee ballot requirements. The Secretary of State's calendar gives Saturday, September 19, 2026 as the last day to transmit ballots to UOCAVA voters whose request is received at least 45 days before the election. sos.alabama.gov

Official voting tools

These links go to the state's own tools. The Ledger does not collect registrations or ballots.

Rules to know

• What to bring

  Alabama requires a voter to show photo ID at the polls. The Secretary of State's 2026 Photo Voter ID Guide lists these valid forms: an Alabama driver's license or non-driver ID (not expired, or expired less than 60 days), including the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency digital versions; an Alabama Photo Voter ID card; a state-issued ID from Alabama or any other state; a federal-issued ID; a U.S. passport; an employee ID from the federal government, the State of Alabama, a county, municipality, board or other entity of the state; a student or employee ID from a public or private college or university in Alabama, or one issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state; a military ID; or a tribal ID. A voter without photo ID may vote a regular ballot if two election officials positively identify the voter as eligible and sign a sworn affidavit; otherwise the voter casts a provisional ballot and has until 5 P.M. on the Friday after the election (November 6, 2026) to submit valid photo ID to the Board of Registrars. A free Alabama Photo Voter ID card is available at the Secretary of State's Office, the Board of Registrars office in each county and mobile ID locations. An absentee ballot application must include a copy of photo ID, except for UOCAVA voters and voters entitled to vote absentee under the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act or another federal law. Read from: sos.alabama.gov

• Who may vote absentee (by mail)

  The Secretary of State's 2026 Voter Guide says a voter may cast an absentee ballot if they: expect to be absent from the county on Election Day; are ill or have a physical infirmity that prevents access to their assigned polling place; are a registered Alabama voter living outside the county, including members of the armed forces, their spouses or dependents, U.S. citizens residing overseas and students at an educational institution outside their county; are an appointed election officer or poll watcher at another polling place; expect to work a required workplace shift with at least 10 hours that coincide with regular polling hours; are a caregiver for a family member to the second degree of kinship who is confined to their home; or are incarcerated and have not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude. To apply, submit an Absentee Ballot Application with a copy of valid photo ID to your county's Absentee Election Manager: by U.S. Mail or commercial carrier no later than the seventh day before the election (October 27, 2026), or in person by the voter no later than the fifth day before it (October 29, 2026). The ballot cannot be counted unless its affidavit is notarized or has the signatures of two witnesses who are 18 or older. Return it by U.S. Mail or commercial carrier so that it is received by noon on Election Day, or hand-deliver it personally by the close of business (no later than 5 P.M.) on November 2, 2026. The guide also describes emergency absentee ballots for voters who, within five days of the election, have a medical emergency, an unforeseen work requirement, a caregiving emergency or a death in the family; the Secretary of State's absentee voting page says emergency applications can be made after the regular deadline but no later than 5 PM on the day before the election, and that a medical emergency application and voted ballot must be returned no later than noon on Election Day. Read from: sos.alabama.gov

• Early in-person voting

  Neither the Secretary of State's 2026 Voter Guide nor its 2026 Administrative Calendar lists an early in-person voting period for the November 3, 2026 General Election: the Voter Guide's list of dates for the General Election consists of the voter registration deadline and four absentee ballot deadlines. The way these documents describe to vote before Election Day is the absentee ballot, for voters who meet one of the listed reasons; such a voter may request one by writing or visiting the county's Absentee Election Manager. Other voters vote at their polling place on Election Day, from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. Read from: sos.alabama.gov

• Track your absentee ballot

  The Secretary of State's absentee voting page links to the VoterView portal (myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/voterview) to track the status of an absentee ballot. The portal's Registration Information search lets you confirm your registration status, ballot status, polling location and address, and its Polling Place Search finds your polling station for upcoming elections using your address. The Secretary of State's site links to the same portal for provisional ballot status. Read from: myinfo.alabamavotes.gov

• Voting after a felony conviction

  To register in Alabama a person must not be barred from voting due to a disqualifying felony conviction. The Secretary of State's 2026 Voter Guide says an individual who is barred may request to have their voting rights restored by applying for a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote (CERV), and may qualify if they have fulfilled all terms of the sentence for the disqualifying felony conviction. For further information the guide refers to the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles at 334-353-7771 or pardons.state.al.us; the Secretary of State's voter registration page gives paroles.alabama.gov and (334) 242-8700 for the same bureau. Read from: sos.alabama.gov

• Voters with disabilities and assistance at the polls

  The Secretary of State says handicap-accessible voting machines are offered at every polling site in Alabama and are available on Election Day from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Voters who are disabled or over the age of 70 may move to the front of the line at a polling place upon notifying a poll worker. A voter may request assistance at the polling place from anyone except the voter's employer, an agent of the employer, or an officer or agent of the voter's union; a poll worker may also assist upon request. Voters who are considered permanently disabled may vote by absentee ballot on an ongoing basis; their absentee ballot application must be signed and notarized by the voter's primary physician, and voters who wish to continue receiving absentee ballots must renew the application on an annual basis. Read from: sos.alabama.gov

On the statewide ballot

Offices on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot, per the Alabama Secretary of State, Elections Division:

U.S. Senate · U.S. House · Governor · Lieutenant Governor · Attorney General · Secretary of State · State Treasurer · State Auditor · Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries · Public Service Commission, Place 1 · Public Service Commission, Place 2 · Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Place 7 · Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Place 8 · Court of Civil Appeals Judge, Place 4 · Court of Civil Appeals Judge, Place 5 · Court of Criminal Appeals Judge, Place 4 · Court of Criminal Appeals Judge, Place 5 · State Senate · State House · State Board of Education (certain districts)

Questions and answers