How to vote · 2026
Alabama
Mail voting requires an excuse
Every date below comes from the Alabama election office and links to the page that states it. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Dates and rules
Registration, mail ballots, and early voting
Registration deadlineOctober 19, 2026Register online, in person, or by mail (postmarked) by Oct. 19, 2026 (15 days before). No same-day registration.
Mail-ballot request deadlineOctober 27, 2026
Mail ballots first sentSeptember 9, 2026Excuse required. Absentee ballots must be ready 55 days before Election Day (Sept. 9, 2026) and are mailed to approved applicants as applications are processed; NCSL separately lists a 45-day mailing rule. Mail application must be received by Oct. 27 (7 days out); in-person application by Oct. 29.
Return ruleMust be received by noon on Election Day
In-person absentee (excuse required)September 9, 2026through October 29, 2026 · No traditional early voting; excuse-required in-person absentee voting at the absentee election manager's office from Sept. 9 through Oct. 29, 2026.
Official AL election site ↗Dates last verified against the official site September 1, 2026.Sources: [1] USA.gov directory of official state election offices[2] Mail voting period begins Sept. 9, 2026 (date ballots must be ready; Ala. Code 17-11-12); early in-person window Sept. 9-Oct. 29[3] CEIR 2026 voter registration deadlines (June 25, 2026 dataset; per-mode deadlines and same-day registration windows)[4] NCSL Table 5: statutory absentee ballot application deadline[5] NCSL Table 11 (updated Dec. 2025): ballot receipt/postmark deadline[6] NCSL Table 7: statutory rule for when absentee/mail ballots are mailed
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The full table of mail-ballot send dates, registration deadlines, and early-voting windows for all fifty states and DC, plus the documented record of government actions on mail voting this cycle.
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