There is less than one month remaining until the state of Alabama comes together to vote in the 2024 primary elections.
While the biggest national names on that March 5 ballot will be Donald Trump and Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary, there are many local primary elections that could have an impact across Lee County.
According to the Ala. Secretary of State website, primary elections in Alabama serve as part of the nominating process for a political party. A primary is used to select who will represent a party in the general election in November. Due to that, voters are required to chose one party’s primary over another and voters are not allowed to participate in the nomination of both parties’ candidates.
Voters are allowed to not declare a political preference at a primary election, which means they will not be eligible to vote in any political party’s primary election. If done, the voter is still allowed to vote on any proposed constitutional amendments that are up for a vote. Both primary ballots will feature the constitutional amendment up for a vote this March, which is to amend Section 71.01 of the Alabama Constitution to authorize the legislature to sign and transmit local laws or constitutional amendments before the transmission of basic appropriations.
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But how do you make sure you’re registered to vote ahead of March 5 and where do you vote? All that and more can be found below:
The deadlines in the March 5 primary election
Friday, Feb. 16 – Last day to hand-deliver voter registration forms
Saturday, Feb. 17 – Last day to postmark voter registration forms
Monday, Feb. 19 – The last day to electronically register to vote
Tuesday, Feb. 27 -Last day to apply for an absentee ballot by mail.
Thursday, Feb. 29—Deadline to apply in person for absentee ballots
Monday, March 4 – Last day to hand-deliver an absentee ballot
Tuesday, March 5—Mail in absentee ballot accepted until noon
In this file photo, one of the voting machines to be used in the City of Auburn municipal elections during the public testing and sealing of the machines on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022.
Registering to Vote
The deadlines for registering to vote ahead of the primary are right around the corner. Registering to vote can be completed in a variety of ways but a person must meet the following requirements to be eligible to vote:
a citizen of the United States;live in Alabama
at least 18 years old on or before election day
not barred from voting due to a disqualifying felony conviction
have not been declared mentally incompetent by a court
As for registration, the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office released a 2024 voter guide with the following options for registering:
online at alabamavotes.gov if they have a valid Alabama Driver’s License or Non-Driver ID card
when applying for or renewing a State of Alabama Driver’s License or Non-Driver ID card
at state and local government offices when applying or recertifying SNAP, TANF, Food Stamps, WIC, Medicaid, Aid to Dependent Childen, or Rehabilitation Services
at armed forces recruiting stations
at the Board of Registrars office located within the county seat of the voter’s county of residence (see pages 18-21)
by mail-in form available at Probate Judge and License Commissioner offices, colleges, universities, public schools, or library
by requesting a mail-in registration form be mailed to you by contacting the Elections Division at 1-800-274-8683 and mailing it to your local Board of Registrars office
by downloading a voter registration from the Secretary of State’s website at alabamavotes.gov and mailing it to your local Board of Registars office
Included in that guide was using the Vote for Alabama app, but the Ala. Secretary of State’s website said that the app has been discontinued and is no longer available to use. With the hand delivering deadline approaching, that can be done by downloading a registration form from the Ala. Secretary of State website, printing it out, filling it out and delivering it to the local office of the Board of Registrars in which the registrant resides. The Lee County Board of Registrars is located in the first floor of the Lee County Courthouse at 215 S 9th Street in Opelika.
For registering online, that can be completed through the Ala. Secretary of State website. The last day to electronically register to vote is Feb 19. Following completion of that form, the local Board of Registrars will mail the registrant a Voter ID card, but that is not needed at your local polling places.
According to the 2024 voter guide, if a person’s name does not appear on the list of registered voters for the polling place, the poll worker will contact the county Board of Registrars to determine if the person is eligible to vote at that polling place. If the Board of Registrars are unable to verify the person’s voter registration, the voter may vote a provisional ballot.
What you need in order to vote
When March 5 comes, you need a valid photo ID in order to vote. This can include any of the following:
Alabama photo voter ID card
state-issued ID including pistol permit, AL movement/booking sheet from prison/jail system or AL Department of Corrections release temporary ID
employee ID from federal government, State of Alabama, county, municipality, board or other entity of this state
student or employee ID form a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama
student or employee ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state
Polling places in Alabama are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 5.
Where to vote
There were recent changes made to several polling locations across Lee County, particularly in Waverly and Auburn. Lee County Probate Judge Bill English told the Opelika-Auburn News that the probate office will be sending postcards to anyone that had their polling location changed ahead of the primary. Those changes will be in effect on March 5. You can check both your voter registration status and designated polling place through the Ala. Secretary of State website: myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/voterview/. That applies to all counties in the state, as do the deadlines for registration and absentee.
This file photo shows a sign marking the polling place at the Opelika Sportsplex in Opelika.
Key local races in Lee County
This is the first Alabama Primary since the United States Supreme Court approved remedial map 3 for redistricting of Alabama in order to create a 2nd majority-Black voting district. While Congressional District 3 did not see any major changes from this, Lee County has experienced changes of its own with new polling places chosen by the Lee County Commission in 2023. Lee County probate Judge said there are just over 128,000 registered voters in the county, with 25 polling places in the area.
As for the races up for vote in the 2024 Republican Primary, U.S. Representative for Congressional District 3 Mike Rogers has held the position since 2003, but he will face two challengers in the primary.
There are three candidates for Lee County District Judge Place 2, including current assistant district attorney Clay Thomas. The candidates are running to fill the vacant position left by Judge Russell Bush, who is retiring.
Not included in every Lee County ballot, incumbent District 3 Commissioner of the Lee County Commission Gary Long is going against Jeff Drury and Brian Davis in the Republican Primary. This will only appear on ballots of residents in District 3.
In many cases, there are races that will not be appearing on the primary ballot because they do not have two candidates within one party, such as Jere Colley Jr. who is up for the Lee County Probate Judge position. Since there is no Republican opposition, Colley is not on the Republican Primary Ballot
There are no local races on the Democratic Primary ballot in Lee County, and that ballot only features one race U.S. President Joe Biden against Dean Phillips in selecting the democratic candidate. There is also a portion of the ballot for selecting the delegates to send to 2024 Democratic National Convention.
There are no local amendments, and the statewide amendment on both democratic and republican ballots will allow the state legislature to pass local laws and amendments before passing the budget.
U.S. Representative Alabama Congressional District 3
Incumbent Mike Rogers, Republican
Challenger Bryan K. Newell, Republican
Challenger Barron Rae Bevels, Republican
Lee County District Judge Place 2
Samantha Burt Copelan, Republican
Harold W. Morris, Republican
Lee County Commissioner District 3
Incumbent Gary Long, Republican
Challenger Jeff Drury, Republican
Challenger Brian Davis, Republican
The state and national races on the primary ballots
Place 2 in the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals
Incumbent Chad Hanson, Republican
Challenger Stephen Davis Parker, Republican
Place 2 in the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals
Rich Anderson, Republican
President of the Alabama Public Services Commission
Incumbent Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, Republican
Challenger Robert L. McCollum, Republican
Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
Sarah Stewart, Republican
Absentee Voting
The March 5 primary will also be taking place while Auburn City Schools and Auburn University are on spring break, meaning any residents out of town during that time will need to vote absentee in order to participate in the primary. According to the Lee County website, the absentee office is located in the Lee County Courthouse at 215 S 9th Street in Opelika. Anyone with questions regarding absentee voting is asked to call 334-737-3490. An absentee voting form for Lee County can be found here.
This file photo shows a sign marking the polling place at the Frank Brown Rec Center in Auburn.
That last day to apply for an absentee ballot to mail is Feb. 27 and the last day to apply for an absentee ballot in person is Feb. 29. The deadline for hand delivering an absentee ballot is March 4.
According to the Alabama Voter Guide, a voter is eligible for an absentee ballot if:
The voter is out of the country or state on Election Day;
The voter has any physical illness or infirmity which prevents the voter from attending the polls;
The voter works a shift that has at least 10 hours which coincide with the hours the polls are open at the voter’s regular polling place;
The voter is a registered Alabama voter living outside of the county, including but not limited to, members of the armed forces or a spouse or dependent of such a person, or a U.S. citizen residing overseas or students at an educational institution located outside their county of residence
The voter is a caregiver for a family member who is confined to their own home;
The voter is an appointed election officer or poll watcher at a polling place other than their regular polling place
The voter is incarcerated in prison or jail and has not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude.
For more information on voter registration as well sample ballots, visit Alabama Votes on the Ala. Secretary of State website.
