Alabama voters head to the polls today for primary elections

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Voters in three of Alabama’s seven congressional districts head to the polls Tuesday to choose their nominees for the U.S. House of Representatives. Voters across the state will chose nominees for U.S. Senate and a full slate of state and local offices.

Following a Supreme Court redistricting ruling that has led to several Republican-led Southern states redrawing their congressional maps, primaries in four of Alabama’s seven districts — the first, second, sixth and seventh — were pushed to August.

Voters in the third, fourth and fifth congressional districts will cast ballots today. Alabama requires candidates to win a majority of the vote or face a runoff on June 16.

Ballot confusion possible

The special primary elections for the affected congressional districts will officially be held on Aug. 11. Voters may still see those congressional races on their ballots today because the map change came after ballots were already printed.

How to find your polling place

To find your polling place, go to myinfo.alabamavotes.gov. Enter your name and birth date, verify you’re not a robot and hit “Look up.” You’ll then see your voting precinct and polling location.

To see what races will be on your ballot, visit your county probate office website and look for sample ballots. From there, you can select a Democratic or Republican ballot to see the races in your area.

“We want to make sure that all of these local elected officials, like our probate judges, the circuit clerks, the sheriffs, board of registrars and especially our poll workers, you know they have the resources they need to go out and conduct a safe, secure, transparent and accountable election,” said Wes Allen, Alabama secretary of state.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

What ID you need

When you show up at your polling location, you’ll need a valid photo ID. The easiest is bringing a state-issued driver’s license or photo ID.

Voters can also use a valid U.S. passport, military ID or student ID from any Alabama college or university.

If you forget your identification, you still may be able to cast a regular ballot if two poll workers know who you are.

If the workers don’t know you and you don’t have an accepted form of ID, you can still cast a provisional ballot, meaning your vote won’t be counted right away.