The 2022 general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8 – less than three weeks from today. Alabamians will vote on a range of local, state and federal offices, including the governor, state legislators, a U.S. Senate seat and U.S. House members. Voters also will decide on a proposed recompilation of the state constitution and 10 proposed statewide constitutional amendments.
Are you registered to vote? Have you made a plan to vote in this year’s general election? Alabama Arise has information below about how to register and how voters can cast a ballot. We share resources that could help if you face barriers to voting. And we explain why we urge Alabamians to vote YES on the recompiled state constitution.
What you need to know about voter registration
- Alabama’s voter registration deadline for the 2022 general election is Monday, Oct. 24. That is the deadline both for new voters to register and for current voters to update their voting information if they have moved to another location within Alabama.
- Register to vote or update your information online here.
- People who have faced domestic violence, or guardians of people who have faced domestic violence, may submit a form to protect their residential and mailing addresses from appearing on the public list of registered voters. Download that form here (opens as a PDF).
- Alabamians are not officially registered to vote until their county board of registrars reviews and approves their application.
- Check your voter registration status here.
What you need to know for the election
- Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day (Nov. 8). If you’re a registered voter in line by 7 p.m., stay in line! You’ll be allowed to vote.
- A valid photo ID is required to vote. Learn more about those requirements here.
- Find your sample ballot (by county) here.
- Check your registration and find your polling place here.
- The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the 2022 general election is Tuesday, Nov. 1. The completed absentee ballot must arrive at the election manager’s office by no later than the close of business on Monday, Nov. 7 (if hand-delivered) or by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 8 (if returned by mail). Learn more about absentee voting here.
- Voters may vote for whomever they wish in the general election, regardless of which primary (if any) they participated in earlier this year.
- Read Alabama Arise’s blog post on why Alabamians should vote YES on the recompiled state constitution. The recompilation will appear on the ballot as the Constitution of Alabama of 2022. (See below for more details.)
- Read AL.com’s overview of the 10 proposed statewide constitutional amendments.
- You can find more information and resources on the Alabama Secretary of State’s website and at VOTE411.org, a website by the League of Women Voters Education Fund.
What to do if you face barriers to voting
If you face any intimidation, threats or other barriers to voting, trained volunteers are ready to help. You can call the nonpartisan Election Protection hotlines here:
- English: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
- Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)
- Asian languages: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)
- Arabic: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)
Why Alabama Arise supports the recompiled constitution
“Alabama Arise is committed to recognizing, teaching about and repairing the damage that state lawmakers perpetrated for generations through codifying racism and racist practices. Racist language and the harmful provisions flowing from it have no place in our state’s most important legal document. That is why we urge Alabamians to vote ‘Yes’ on the recompiled state constitution on Nov. 8, 2022.
“Examples of deleted racist language [in the recompilation] include references to separate schools for Black and white children and prohibition of interracial marriages. The recompilation also strengthens Alabama’s prohibition of slavery by removing language that allows involuntary servitude ‘for the punishment of crime.’
“Alabama voters will decide whether to authorize those changes by adopting the recompiled state constitution. Arise recommends voting ‘Yes’ on the recompilation, which will appear on the ballot as the Constitution of Alabama of 2022.”