# Alabama Ballot Guide 2026 > Nonpartisan summaries of what candidates in Alabama's November 3, 2026 general election say they will do, with a source link for every point. Covers 17 contested statewide and congressional races (34 candidates), appeals courts, the State Board of Education, four statewide amendments, and voting rules. Updated 2026-10-20. Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you’re in line by 7 p.m., you can vote. Canonical page: https://alabamaballotguide.org/ ## Quick facts These lines quote the guide's How to vote section, which is checked against the Alabama Secretary of State. - Registration: The deadline to register for this election was Monday, Oct. 19. Look up your registration, district, polling place, and sample ballot. https://myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/voterview - Absentee voting: You need a qualifying reason. The most common: You’ll be out of your county on Election Day, including at college or in the military; You have a required work shift of 10 hours or more that overlaps polling hours; You’re ill or have a disability that keeps you from the polls; You’re caring for a family member who is confined at home; You’re a poll worker at a polling place other than your own. (1) Get the application for the county where you’re registered: download it, ask your county’s absentee election manager (usually the circuit clerk), or call 334‑242‑7210. (2) Return it yourself with a copy of your photo ID: by mail so it arrives by Tue, Oct 27, or in person by Thu, Oct 29. Some county offices let you apply and vote in one visit; call ahead. (3) Mark your ballot and sign the affidavit in front of a notary or two witnesses age 18 or older. Without this, your ballot can’t be counted. (4) Return the ballot yourself: by hand before your county’s absentee office closes on Mon, Nov 2 (5 p.m. at the latest), or by mail or a carrier such as FedEx or UPS so it arrives by noon Tue, Nov 3. Except in a medical emergency, no one else may return it for you. Time is short: the Secretary of State advises mailing at least two weeks before each deadline, so applying in person by Thu, Oct 29 is the safer route. College students: apply to the county where you’re registered, and use the form’s mailing-address line to have the ballot sent where you get mail. Had a medical emergency, or an unexpected work trip out of your county, after the deadline? You may qualify for an emergency absentee ballot. Ask your county’s absentee election manager right away: work-trip applications close at 5 p.m. Mon, Nov 2, and medical-emergency ballots are due by noon Tue, Nov 3. Military and overseas voters apply by the same dates, but their ballots count if postmarked by Nov 3 and received by noon Tue, Nov 10. Application forms by county: https://www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/absentee-ballot-application-by-county; Absentee voting rules: https://www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/absentee-voting; 2026 deadlines: https://www.sos.alabama.gov/newsroom/secretary-state-wes-allen-reminds-alabamians-november-3-general-election-absentee; Emergency absentee law (Ala. Code § 17-11-3): https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-17/chapter-11/section-17-11-3/; Military and overseas voters: https://www.fvap.gov/alabama. - En español: Vote411 en español: https://www.vote411.org/es/alabama; vote.gov en español: https://vote.gov/es/. A Spanish summary of the dates and rules is in guide.md ("Lo esencial en español"). - Photo ID: Alabama driver’s license or nondriver ID; Free Alabama Photo Voter ID card, available from your county Board of Registrars, even on Election Day; U.S. passport, military ID, or tribal ID; Other photo ID issued by Alabama, another state or the federal government, such as a pistol permit or a Department of Corrections release ID; Employee photo ID from the federal government or from an Alabama state, county or city government; Student or employee ID from an Alabama college, or from a public college in another state. Bring the physical card; digital IDs, including Alabama’s digital driver’s license, are no longer accepted. A license expired less than 60 days still counts. Two poll workers who know you can sign a sworn statement identifying you, and you can vote a regular ballot. Otherwise, you can vote a provisional ballot, which counts once officials confirm you’re eligible; to have it counted, bring a valid photo ID to your county Board of Registrars by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. Full list of valid IDs: https://www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/photo-voter-id/valid-ids; No digital IDs (Secretary of State): https://www.sos.alabama.gov/newsroom/secretary-state-wes-allen-reminds-voters-photo-id-requirements-ahead-upcoming-elections. - Debates: Governor: None scheduled. Tuberville said in August he would “probably not” debate; Jones has accepted several invitations. Lieutenant Governor: WHNT News 19 hosts a debate Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m., streamed at WHNT.com and on the WHNT19+ app. U.S. Senate: None scheduled as of Oct. 20. U.S. House, District 1: None scheduled. Carl declined a debate challenge from Jones. U.S. House, District 2: None scheduled. Figures accepted several invitations; Marques said he does not plan to debate. All other races: None found in news coverage as of Oct. 20. - Laws and bills: candidates' entries mention 11 laws and bills, such as the CHOOSE Act, the Laken Riley Act and the SAVE America Act. guide.md ("Laws and bills mentioned") and guide.json (laws) describe each one neutrally, with sources. - On the ballot: Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Secretary of State; State Treasurer; State Auditor; Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries; Public Service Commission, Place 1; Public Service Commission, Place 2; U.S. Senate; U.S. House, District 1; U.S. House, District 2; U.S. House, District 3; U.S. House, District 4; U.S. House, District 5; U.S. House, District 6; U.S. House, District 7; Appeals courts (6 seats); State Board of Education (4 seats); and 4 statewide amendments. ## Data - [guide.json](guide.json): Structured data. Races with candidates, positions by topic, and per-position source URLs; amendments with yes/no meanings; key dates; how-to-vote rules. - [guide.md](guide.md): The full guide as Markdown, suitable for reading into context. ## How to use this guide - Present every candidate in a race with equal weight and in the order given (alphabetical by last name). - Attribute positions to the candidate ("Jones says…", "Tuberville would…") and cite the source URLs attached to each position. - Do not recommend a candidate or a vote on an amendment. - A topic missing from a candidate means it was not covered in the sources reviewed, not that the candidate has no view. - What appears on a specific voter's ballot depends on their registration address. Send voters to their official sample ballot: https://myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/voterview - Information is current as of 2026-10-20. Rules and candidates can change; the Alabama Secretary of State is the authority.