ASSIGNMENT . . .

The board of registrars sends a certificate of registration that lists the voter's polling place. Voters who have not received such a certificate or card should contact the local board of registrars for information on their polling places. For municipal elections,

check with the city clerk.

HOURS . . .

Alabama polling places must be open at least from 8 AM to 6 PM. Polls may open earlier or close later, depending on the jurisdiction and type of election being held. Local polling hours are set by the county commission or by the municipal governing body 

(in municipal elections).

BASIC VOTING PROCEDURE . . .

1. A poll worker checks the citizen's name against the registered voters list for that precinct. If the voter has an "I" by his/her name, this indicates a need to update registration information. The voter must complete a Voter Update Form that is available at the polling place.

2. The voter signs a poll list. If the election is a party primary, the voter must state in which party primary he/she wishes to vote and then must sign that party's poll list.

3. The vote is cast. VOTING PROCEDURES VARY according to the type equipment used in the county. For more specific information, look for instructions printed in large type that should be visible at each polling place. Also, poll workers will provide information on voting procedures, if the voter requests it before entering the voting machine or marking the paper ballot. Poll workers are not allowed to tell a citizen how to vote or to attempt to influence a voter in any way.

NAME NOT ON THE LIST OF VOTERS . . .

If a registered voter finds that his/her name does not appear on the list of registered voters for the polling place, the voter should contact the local board of registrars for verification of eligibility to vote at that polling place. (In a primary election, the voter may also contact the judge of probate.) A voter who is unable to contact the board of registrars’ office may vote a "challenged" ballot, which is a paper ballot that will be counted. However, the voter must tell the polling place inspector that he/she wants to cast the challenged ballot.

MARKED BALLOTS . . .

Voters may take such items as marked ballots or pencils into the polling place provided they are used only for personal assistance and are not distributed to others in the polling place. Also, the voter should not leave such items in the polling place.

CAMPAIGNING ON ELECTION DAY . . .

Campaigning is allowed on election day so long as it is done at least 30 feet from the door of the building in which the polls are located.

VOTING PROCEDURES

Primary elections are different from general elections, and the laws governing each type of election vary.

PRIMARY ELECTION -- held by the political parties to select each party's nominee for the general election. In a primary, separate party ballots are printed and the voter must choose between the ballot with Democrats running against other Democrats or the one on which Republicans run against other Republicans. If there are three or more candidates in a race, and if no one receives a majority, then a second or run-off election is held between the two candidates who receive the highest number of votes in the first primary. The winner of this second election will be the party nominee.

GENERAL ELECTION - - between party nominees and any independent or write-in candidates. The general election determines which candidate will occupy the office that is up for election. In the general election, a voter may split the ticket to select candidates from

all columns on the ballot. However, a voter may choose only one candidate per office.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ELECTION -- When constitutional amendments appear on a primary ballot, if a voter does not want to participate in one of the party primaries, he/ she may vote only on the amendments. The voter should ask the poll worker for instructions to vote in only the amendment election.