AL Voters Who Haven't Received Absentee Ballots May Vote At Polls

MONTGOMERY, AL — Many Alabama voters who applied for an absentee ballot for Tuesday's election have reported that they have not received their ballots in the mail yet. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill's office said those voters may vote in person at their designated polling location if they are able.

An absentee ballot returned by mail must be postmarked no later than the day prior to the election and received by the Absentee Election Manager no later than noon on election day. If hand-delivered, the ballot must be in the office of the Absentee Election Manager by the close of business (but no later than 5 p.m.) on the day prior to the election.

Grace Newcombe of the Alabama Secretary of State's Office said Monday that voters who have not mailed in a ballot within the time frame specified, but are able to get to their polling locations can still cast a vote.

"Voters who requested an absentee ballot but did not return it may vote a provisional ballot at the polls tomorrow," Newcombe said to Patch.

Millions of people will cast their ballots by mail for the first time in the 2020 general election. Pew Research numbers show the number of people who vote by mail had already been on a sharp increase for years. In 2016, more than 20 percent of voters nationwide voted by mail, a total of about 27 million.

In Alabama, more than 300,000 absentee ballots have been requested, and more than 240,000 have been returned to Merrill's office.

Many polling locations around the county have changed since the last election, so voters are asked to check their polling places for any changes. (polling locations can be found here).

Absentee ballots received by the day of the election Nov. 3 will be opened for tabulation beginning at 7 a.m. that day, according to an order announced by Gov. Kay Ivey in September.

SEE ALSO:

Polling Location Changes For Jefferson County

Election 2020 In Alabama: Presidential Race, Senate And More

Election Day In Jefferson County: When, Where To Vote