Your Alabama voter registration card arrives in the mail a few weeks after your county Board of Registrars processes your registration application. The card confirms you’re on the rolls and lists your polling place, the political districts you live in, and your name as it appears in the voter file. It is a reference document, not an entry ticket: Alabama does not require you to bring it to vote. What you do need at the polls is a valid photo ID, which is a separate document covered below.
What the Card Shows
Once the Board of Registrars confirms your eligibility, the physical card you receive includes your name as recorded in the voter file, the address and name of your assigned polling place, and the districts you belong to — congressional, state senate, state house, county commission, and so on. Treat it as a confirmation receipt. It proves you are registered and tells you where to vote, but no poll worker will ask to see it.
Processing times vary by county. Most voters receive the card within two to four weeks of submitting a complete application. If a month passes and nothing arrives, check your status at the Secretary of State’s voter portal, myinfo.alabamavotes.gov, where you can search by name and date of birth to confirm registration, see your polling place, and review upcoming elections.1Alabama Secretary of State. VoterView
How to Get Registered So a Card Is Issued
Alabama accepts voter registration applications three ways, and the same form handles both new registrations and updates.2Alabama Secretary of State. Register to Vote / Update Your Information
- Online. Submit through the Secretary of State’s website. You need a valid Alabama driver’s license or non-driver ID from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), because the system verifies your identity against ALEA records.
- By mail. Download the Alabama Voter Registration Form from the Secretary of State’s website, fill it out, and mail it to the Board of Registrars in your county.
- In person. Visit your county Board of Registrars. You can also register at any ALEA driver’s license office, where federal law requires voter registration to be offered as part of every license or ID transaction. Public assistance offices and offices serving people with disabilities also offer the form.3Civil Rights Division | U.S. Department of Justice. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA)
The application asks for your full legal name, date of birth, and physical residential address. A P.O. box doesn’t qualify. You’ll provide either your Alabama driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number; if you have neither, say so on the form and the state assigns you a number. You sign under penalty of perjury that the information is true and that you meet all eligibility requirements.
At the Driver’s License Office
When you apply for, renew, or change the address on an Alabama driver’s license or state ID, the ALEA office must offer you a voter registration application at the same time. An address change on your license also updates your voter registration unless you specifically opt out on the form.3Civil Rights Division | U.S. Department of Justice. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) Completed applications must be forwarded to election officials within ten days, or within five days if a registration deadline is close.
Who Is Eligible to Receive a Card
You can register, and therefore receive a card, if you are a United States citizen, a resident of Alabama, and at least 18 years old on or before the date of the next general or primary election. Registration goes through the Board of Registrars (sometimes called the Board of Supervisors of Elections) in the county where you live.4Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code Title 17-3-10 – Qualifications of Electors
Two groups are disqualified. Anyone convicted of a felony involving “moral turpitude” cannot register unless that right has been restored, and anyone a court has declared mentally incompetent cannot register. If a disqualifying conviction applies to you, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles handles rights restoration, generally through a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote (CERV) issued after you’ve completed your sentence and any court-ordered restitution; certain offenses require a pardon instead.5Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles. Voting Rights You present the certificate to your county Board of Registrars to complete the registration.
Photo ID Is What You Actually Bring to Vote
Alabama requires every voter to show a valid photo ID at the polls. The registration card does not satisfy that requirement. Accepted IDs include:6Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 17-9-30 – Identification of Electors
- Alabama driver’s license or non-driver ID, including ALEA digital IDs, valid or expired less than 60 days
- Alabama Photo Voter ID card (free, described below)
- Any state-issued photo ID from Alabama or another state
- U.S. passport
- Federal or state government employee photo ID
- Photo ID from any Alabama college or university, student or employee
- U.S. military photo ID
- Tribal photo ID
If none of those apply, you can get a free Alabama Photo Voter ID card from your county Board of Registrars, the Secretary of State’s office, or a mobile unit the Secretary of State sends to communities around the state. You fill out a short application and pay nothing. If you already hold any accepted photo ID, you aren’t eligible for the free voter ID card.7Alabama Secretary of State. Photo Voter ID
Replacing a Lost or Damaged Card
If your card is lost or damaged, contact your county Board of Registrars and ask for a replacement. A missing card does not affect your registration or your right to vote. It only makes it slightly less convenient to look up your polling place, and the online voter portal fills that gap in the meantime.
Updating Your Card After a Move or Name Change
Whenever your name or address changes, update your registration using the same application form. If you moved within your county, send the update to your current county Board of Registrars. If you moved to a different Alabama county, submit a new registration to the Board of Registrars in your new county.2Alabama Secretary of State. Register to Vote / Update Your Information Updated information means a new card reflecting your correct polling place and districts.
Keeping your record current matters. If the address on file doesn’t match where you live, you could be routed to the wrong polling place or handed an incorrect ballot. The Board of Registrars periodically cross-references U.S. Postal Service change-of-address data and will send a confirmation notice to voters who appear to have moved. Respond to that notice to keep your record clean.
If you move out of Alabama, register in your new state. Most states don’t require you to formally cancel your old registration, since interstate data-sharing programs will eventually sync the records.8USAGov. How to Update or Change Your Voter Registration If you want a cleaner break, many county offices will accept a cancellation request directly.
The 15-Day Deadline
Alabama law bars the Board of Registrars from registering anyone within 14 days before an election, which makes the last day to register or update 15 days before Election Day.9Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 17-3-50 – Registration Deadline The same cutoff applies online, in person, and by mail. A mailed application has to be postmarked by that date. There is no same-day registration in Alabama, so a missed deadline means waiting for the next election. If you register close to the cutoff, your card may not arrive before Election Day; verifying your registration through the online voter portal is the fastest way to confirm your polling place in the meantime.1Alabama Secretary of State. VoterView