The Capstone Creed calls for members of The University of Alabama community to foster individual and civic responsibility. One way to exercise this responsibility is to vote. 2016 is a presidential election year, and for some of you this will be your first opportunity to cast a ballot. Below is information about registering to vote and, for those of you who may need it, information related to obtaining an absentee ballot from your home state.
Absentee Ballots
If you are already registered to vote, you can request an absentee ballot according to the voting regulations in that state. If you need assistance requesting an absentee ballot, you can use this tool: www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/. For students living on campus, instructions for sending your absentee ballot can be found at https://sa.ua.edu/resources/student-absentee-voting-guide/.
Registering to Vote
Registering Outside of Alabama
If you choose to vote in your home state, you must be registered to vote in that state. Information on voter registration and election processes, including deadlines, in each state can be found here: www.eac.gov/voter_resources/contact_your_state.aspx.
Registering in Alabama
There are two ways to register in Alabama:
- If you have an Alabama Driver’s License or Non-Driver’s Identification Card, you can register to vote by electronic application. The application can be found at alabamavotes.gov/olvr/default.aspx. The deadline for electronic submission is Oct. 24 to vote in the Nov. 8 election.
- If you do not have an Alabama Driver’s License or Non-Driver’s Identification Card, you must complete a form-fillable voter registration application available at gov/downloads/election/vr/nvra-2.pdf. If hand-delivered to the Tuscaloosa County Board of Registrars, the deadline for submitting this application for the Nov. 8 general election in Alabama is Oct. 24. If mailed, the postmark must be by Oct. 24. Forms are also available at the Tuscaloosa County Board of Registrars at 2501 Seventh St., Suite 200, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401.
Here is some additional information from the Alabama Secretary of State about registering and voting in the State of Alabama:
- If a student is living in Alabama attending school, they may claim the collegiate residence as their primary domicile residence and register to vote in Alabama. At the time of registering, the student will be able to provide (on the application) the residence in which they were previously registered to vote in a separate state. Once the county board of registrars here in Alabama (in our case, Tuscaloosa County) receives the application, it will notify the state in which the person was previously registered to vote, and that voter will be removed from the voter rolls in that state. It is not required of the registrant to notify the previous state, though the student may contact that state if he or she wishes to do so.
- A person may use their residence hall address to register to vote; however, a P.O. Box is not allowable for the physical residence address in which the student is registering to vote. Each UA residence hall has a specific physical residence address that the student may use to register to vote. A P.O. Box address may be used as the mailing address, if different from the registration address. Mail cannot be delivered to a residence hall. Information on renting a P.O. Box at Ferguson Center can be found at http://campusmail.ua.edu/ferguson.html.
- If a student is a registered voter in Alabama and is away from their registration address due to one of the reasons listed on the absentee application, the student may apply for an absentee ballot by filling out the application and submitting it to the Absentee Election Manager in the county in which the student is registered to vote. The student is able to list a P.O. Box for the mailing address, but not the registration address, in order to receive the absentee ballot by mail.
- Photo ID is required to vote in Alabama, and a voter can use various forms of photo identification at the polls.