To vote absentee in Alabama, you have to meet one of the state’s qualifying reasons, send in a written application with a copy of your photo ID, and return your completed ballot inside a three-envelope system with either a notary’s seal or two adult witnesses. Alabama does not offer no-excuse absentee voting, and it does not offer a way to fix a ballot after you submit it, so the requirements matter from the first step to the last.
Who Can Vote Absentee
Alabama law recognizes eight reasons a registered voter can request an absentee ballot. You only need one:
- You expect to be outside your county on Election Day.
- A physical illness or disability keeps you from the polls.
- You expect to work a shift of at least 10 hours that overlaps with polling hours.
- You’re a student enrolled at a school outside your county of residence.
- You’re a member of the military, a spouse or dependent of a service member, or otherwise covered by the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
- You’re an election officer or poll watcher assigned to a polling place other than your own.
- You’re caring for a family member within the second degree of kinship who is confined to the home.
- You’re incarcerated but have not been convicted of a disqualifying felony involving moral turpitude.
The Secretary of State’s office also recognizes voters who are 65 or older or have a recognized disability and cannot access their polling place because of a neurological, musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, or other life-altering condition.1Alabama Secretary of State. Absentee Voting Information The statute itself groups most of these voters under the illness-or-infirmity category.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 17-11-3 – Voting in Precinct, Etc., Where Registered Required; Exceptions; Absentee Voting
The Photo ID You Send With Your Application
Every absentee application has to include a copy of a valid photo ID. Most voters already have something that qualifies:
- An Alabama driver’s license or non-driver ID, current or expired less than 60 days (digital versions issued by ALEA count)
- An Alabama photo voter ID card
- A state-issued ID from Alabama or any other state
- A U.S. passport
- A military ID or tribal ID
- A federal, state, county, or municipal employee ID
- A student or employee ID from an Alabama college or university, or from a state institution of higher learning in another state
Less common options also qualify, including a valid pistol permit with a photo, an Alabama Department of Corrections release ID, or a jail or prison booking sheet with a photo. As of June 1, 2025, foreign national driver’s licenses are no longer accepted.3Office of the Secretary of State, State of Alabama. Alabama Photo Voter ID Guide
Applying for the Ballot
The application goes to your county’s Absentee Election Manager. You can pick up the form at the Manager’s office or download it from the Secretary of State’s website. Fill it out with your personal information and the reason you qualify, and attach a copy of your photo ID.1Alabama Secretary of State. Absentee Voting Information
How you deliver the application changes the deadline:
- By mail or commercial carrier, it must arrive no later than seven days before the election.
- By hand delivery, it must arrive no later than five days before the election.
You have to submit your own application. Alabama law prohibits anyone else from turning it in for you, with a narrow exception for medical emergencies. Two voters cannot mail their applications in the same envelope either.4Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 17-11-4 – Form and Contents of Application
Filling Out and Returning the Ballot
Once your application is approved, you’ll receive a ballot package with three envelopes. This is the step where most rejected absentee ballots fail, so it’s worth reading twice.
The Three Envelopes
Mark your ballot. Seal it inside the plain secrecy envelope, the smallest one. Put that inside the affidavit envelope, which has a printed oath on the outside. Sign the oath. Put the affidavit envelope inside the outer mailing envelope, which is pre-addressed to your Absentee Election Manager.
Notary or Two Witnesses
Your signature on the affidavit envelope has to be authenticated before you send the ballot back. You have two options: a notary public who signs and stamps the affidavit, or two witnesses at least 18 years old who sign in the designated spaces. A commissioned military officer also counts as an authorized officer.5Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 17-11-10 – Procedure Upon Receipt of Absentee Ballots by Election Officials
If the affidavit isn’t properly witnessed, election officials are barred by statute from opening the envelope. No court can override that. An unwitnessed ballot does not get counted. Notary fees are capped at $10 per notarial act in Alabama, but two adult witnesses cost nothing and are usually the simpler route.
Return Deadlines
The completed ballot must be back at the Absentee Election Manager’s office by these deadlines:
- By mail or commercial carrier: received no later than noon on Election Day.
- By hand delivery: received by the close of business, no later than 5:00 p.m., on the day before Election Day.
“Received” means physically in the Manager’s office. A postmark does not save a late ballot. Something mailed on time but arriving after noon on Election Day will not be counted.6Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 17-11-18 – Time Requirements for Receiving Absentee Ballots
Emergency Exceptions Close to Election Day
Two narrow situations let you apply after the standard deadlines.
If your employer requires you to work under unforeseen circumstances that will keep you from the polls, you can file an emergency absentee application. It has to be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day before the election.1Alabama Secretary of State. Absentee Voting Information
If you need emergency medical treatment from a licensed physician within five days of an election, you qualify for a medical emergency absentee ballot. Both the application and the voted ballot have to be returned by noon on Election Day. This is the one situation where you can designate someone else to pick up your application, collect the ballot, and return it for you.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 17-11-3 – Voting in Precinct, Etc., Where Registered Required; Exceptions; Absentee Voting
If You’re Military or Overseas
Voters covered by UOCAVA follow more forgiving rules. That includes active-duty service members, their spouses and dependents, and U.S. citizens living abroad. You can register and request a ballot using the Federal Post Card Application, which can be transmitted electronically.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 17-11-3 – Voting in Precinct, Etc., Where Registered Required; Exceptions; Absentee Voting
UOCAVA ballots need to be postmarked by Election Day and received no later than noon on the seventh day after the election.6Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 17-11-18 – Time Requirements for Receiving Absentee Ballots A notary isn’t required either. Two witnesses aged 18 or older, or a commissioned military officer, can authenticate the affidavit signature.
There Is No Cure Process
Alabama has no statewide procedure for fixing a defective absentee ballot. If your affidavit is missing a witness signature, unsigned, or otherwise incomplete, election officials will not contact you to correct it. The ballot simply won’t be counted.
You can track your application and returned ballot through the Secretary of State’s voter information portal.1Alabama Secretary of State. Absentee Voting Information Checking early gives you time to react if the state hasn’t received something you sent, but it will not save a ballot with a defective envelope. That’s why the witness step and the envelope order are worth double-checking before you seal anything.