After months of reading about the upcoming Republican and Democratic primaries, now you can make your preparations.
Sample ballots for both Republican and Democratic primaries in 67 Alabama counties are now available for review at the Secretary of State’s website. The primary is May 24.
- Click here to see sample ballots by county.
Statewide offices, including governor and attorney general, are on the ballot this year and will be on every ballot – based on the party of the candidate. The lieutenant governor’s office is not on the ballot because the incumbent, Will Ainsworth, has no opposition in either the Republican or Democratic primary.
All 140 seats in the state legislature are on the ballot, too, but voters will vote only for the candidates in their district. County offices, such as sheriff, will also be on the ballot.
And, of course, the U.S. Senate seat will be on every ballot as well as congressional races.
Only races with two or more candidates will be on the ballot. Uncontested races are not included.
When going to the polls, voters must choose which primary they will vote in. Under a 2017 law, voters are prohibited from crossing over to the other primary to vote in a potential runoff.
If no candidate in a primary receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held May 21 to determine the party nominee. So, for example, if a voter casts a ballot in the Democratic primary, that voter can only vote in a Democratic runoff and not cross over to the Republican primary.
The sample ballots also include Amendment 1, which will be on every ballot and asks voters if they support the state borrowing $85 million to invest in upgrades for Alabama’s 21 state parks. The state House and Senate backed the bill in a combined 127-0 vote in the 2021 legislative session.
On some sample ballots, a one-page explainer on Amendment 1 provides more detail than the brief, one sentence description that will appear on the ballot. The explainer will not be available for review on ballots, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on election day.
