Alabama

Voters in Alabama need to show photo ID to confirm their identity when voting in person.

If you don’t have an acceptable photo ID, there may be other ways you can confirm your identity.

You must include a copy of your photo ID with your absentee ballot application to vote by mail.

Alabama ID Requirements for Voting In Person

ACCEPTABLE PHOTO ID

Unexpired or expired less than 60 days

  • Alabama driver’s license
  • Alabama non-driver ID

Must be unexpired

  • Photo ID issued by any state
  • Photo ID issued by the Federal Government (including US Passport)
  • Employee photo ID issued by the Federal Government, State of Alabama, County Government, Municipality, Board, Authority, or other entity of Alabama
  • Student or employee ID from a college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools)
  • Military ID
  • Tribal ID

If you don’t have one of the photo IDs listed above, you are eligible to receive an Alabama Photo Voter ID from the state.

You can use this photo ID card to cast your ballot. Check the FAQ below to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are a registered voter and do not have a photo ID that is acceptable for voting, you are eligible to receive an Alabama Photo Voter ID.

You must provide the following information to obtain your free ID from the state. All of this information can be contained in one document:

  1. A photo identification document OR a non-photo identification document is acceptable if it contains your full legal name and date of birth
  2. Documentation showing your date of birth
  3. Documentation showing that you registered to vote in Alabama (can be electronically verified by the processing office)
  4. Documentation showing your name and the address from your voter registration record (can be electronically verified by the processing office)

You can use documents like your birth certificate, marriage certificate, Medicaid or Medicare document, official school record or transcript, Certificate of Citizenship, or hospital record.

VoteRiders can give you free help to get the documents you need. Get help now!

Alabama Secretary of State web resources:

You do not need a STAR ID to vote in Alabama.

A STAR ID is a state-issued ID that meets REAL ID requirements under federal law.

Your driver’s license or state ID card will show a gold star if it is a STAR ID.

Get in touch with VoteRiders if you have questions or need free help getting ID.

Registered Alabama voters must show photo ID at the polls to vote.

If you don’t bring a valid ID to the polling place, you can vote a regular ballot if:

  • you are positively identified by two elections officials

AND

  • these officials sign a sworn affidavit stating so.

Otherwise, you may cast a provisional ballot. You will need to take additional steps for your ballot to be counted.

In order for your ballot to be counted:

  1. You must first complete a Provisional Verification Statement and sign a Sworn Affirmation.
  2. You must then submit a valid photo ID to the county board of registrar’s office by 5:00 PM on the Friday after an election. Find your local board of registrar’s office.

Get in touch with VoteRiders if you have questions or need free help securing ID to cast a ballot that counts.

No. To vote in Alabama, you must present a physical form of acceptable ID, and the ID must also be an original document. Neither copies of ID nor ID in an electronic format will be accepted at the polls.

Alabama ID Requirements for Voting By Mail

You must include a copy of your photo ID when you apply for your absentee ballot.

Any ID that is valid for voting in person will be accepted.

Frequently Asked Questions

When you apply for an absentee ballot in Alabama, you need to provide an excuse.

To be eligible: You must be a registered voter and unable to go to your polling place for an acceptable reason.

Acceptable reasons include:

  • You will be absent from your registered county on Election Day
  • You are ill or physically unable to reach your assigned polling place
  • You are a caregiver for a family member who is confined to their home
  • You are an appointed election officer or poll watcher outside your assigned polling place
  • Your work schedule (10 hours+) conflicts with polling hours on Election Day
  • You are a registered Alabama 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
  • You are currently incarcerated in prison or jail and have not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude

Yes, you must apply with a copy of photo ID that is acceptable for voting.

Any ID that works for voting in person will be accepted.

No, but your absentee ballot cannot be counted unless the affidavit is notarized or has the signatures of two witnesses.

The affidavit is located on the outside of the envelope that accompanies your absentee ballot. Sign the affidavit in the presence of a notary public or two witnesses (must be 18+ years old).

There is no process to “cure” (fix) your ballot if it is rejected.