How to Vote in Alabama: 2028 Deadlines, Early Voting & Poll Hours

To vote in the November 7, 2028 general election, register by 15 days before Election Day.

Dates marked ≈ are computed from state statute and can shift with county practice. Confirm your exact deadline and check your registration status at Alabama's official site.

Alabama does not offer early in-person voting. Absentee voting is available with a qualifying excuse. You can vote in person on Election Day, or by mail if you qualify.

Confirm exact locations and hours — which vary by county — at Alabama's official election site.

Alabama requires a qualifying excuse to vote by mail. Request deadline: 7 days before Election Day (mail); 5 days before (in-person).

Return rule: Must be received by noon on Election Day

Track your ballot: look up your record at Alabama's voter portal to see when your ballot was mailed, received and accepted.

Details and request forms are at Alabama's official election site.

A photo ID is requested, but a voter without one can still cast a ballot that counts without a later trip back — for example by signing an affidavit or having a provisional ballot verified some other way.

NCSL footnote: voters without a photo ID are generally asked to cast a provisional ballot and bring ID to an election office by 5 p.m. the Friday after Election Day, but two election officials may instead sign sworn statements that they know the voter — the reason NCSL classifies Alabama as non-strict despite the process feeling strict in practice.

See the full list of accepted ID at Alabama's official election site.

Polls are open until 7 p.m. CT on November 7, 2028 — because Alabama spans more than one time zone, the last polls in the state close at 8:00 p.m. ET. Parts of three eastern counties sit in the Eastern time zone but close on Central time, so the whole state closes together at 8 p.m. ET.

See how Alabama's closing time compares nationwide on the full poll closing times by state page, or confirm your local hours at Alabama's official election site.

Election-night totals are unofficial. The count becomes official in two steps:

• Local: County canvassing boards — by about November 13, 2026. Noon on the second Friday after the election.
• Statewide: Any two of the governor, secretary of state and attorney general — November 25, 2026 on the 2026 calendar. Within 22 days of the election.

Certifying is a required step, not a second vote on the result. What happens if a local board won’t sign off, every state’s deadlines and how a result can be challenged are on how election results are certified.