Alabama’s mid term election is tomorrow. But, voters in our state have a deadline today if they want to cast an absentee ballot and deliver it by hand. Those votes have to be dropped off to your election official by close of business today. Kim Bailey is President of the Alabama League of Women voters. She says if your voter registration is listed as inactive on election day, there’s a process to fix that.
“If you fill out the form and they will give you a ballot, it's not a provisional ballot,” said Bailey. “It is a regular ballot that they will give you to cast. Yes. So there will be. It should be fairly. It'll take you just a little bit longer because you have to fill out that form, but other than that, it will be just like or your any other election day.
Bailey says this mid term is unprecedented due to news reports of federal agents possibly showing up at the polls."
Go to apr.org and our election page for more coverage of the mid terms. Then, join APR and NPR tomorrow night starting at 7 pm as the election returns come in. Alabama voters will elect leaders for federal, state and other offices on Tuesday. Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied in Alabama.
When do polls close?
Polls close at 7 p.m. local time, which is 8 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in races for U.S. Senate, governor, U.S. House, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, statewide ballot measures, state Supreme Court, state Senate, state House, agriculture commissioner, state auditor, Public Service Commission, state board of education and state treasurer.
How many people voted in the last midterm election?
About 1.4 million votes were cast in the 2022 race for the U.S. Senate in Alabama.
How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?
About 3% of votes in Alabama's 2022 race for the U.S. Senate were cast by absentee ballot. Alabama is one of the only holdouts in the nation that doesn't offer some form of in-person early voting.
When are absentee votes released?
Most counties in Alabama are expected to report at least some absentee results in the first county vote reports on Election Night.
How long does vote counting usually take?
The first results of the 2024 general election were reported starting at 8:10 p.m. ET on Nov. 5, 10 minutes after polls closed. The state reached 50% of votes reporting at 10:32 p.m. ET, and 90% of votes reporting at 11:38 p.m. ET.
When will the AP declare a winner?
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
How do recounts work?
Alabama requires an automatic recount in a general election if a candidate’s margin of victory is 0.5% or less. An eligible voter can also request a recount within 48 hours after the canvass of county returns. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
