MONTGOMERY- Secretary of State Beth Chapman joins the National Association of Secretaries of State in announcing September as National Voter Registration Month.
“It is my goal to encourage every single Alabamian who meets the legal requirements to vote in the November 4th General Election to register to do so,” Chapman said. By law, the deadline for registration for the November 4th Election is October 24th, which is 10 days prior to the election.
The legal requirements to vote in Alabama are:
- The voter must be a United States Citizen,
- The voter must reside in Alabama,
- The voter must be at least 18 years old,
- The voter has not been convicted of a disqualifying felony (or have rights restored),
- And the voter has not been legally declared "mentally incompetent" by a court.
A voter may begin the absentee ballot application process now. There are six requirements one must meet in order to request an absentee ballot. They are:
- The voter will be absent from the county on election day,
- The voter is ill or has a physical disability that prevents a trip to the polling place,
- The voter is a registered Alabama voter living outside the county, such as a college student
- The voter is a member of the armed forces, a voter employed outside the United States , 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 regular polling place,
- Or the voter works a shift of 10 hours or more that coincides with polling hours.
As allegations of voter fraud continue to come into the office, Chapman reminds voters, “Dead people cannot vote and those living can only vote once.”
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