Absentee Voting

Monroe
Absentee

Voting

Absentee Election Manager
65 North Alabama Ave
Monroeville, AL 36460
(251) 743-2283

RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR ABSENTEE BALLOTS
FOR THE MARCH 3, 2020 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION

PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW CAREFULLY

Applications for absentee ballots must be filed in the office of the Absentee Election Manager/Circuit Clerk not less than five (5) days prior to the Election. The deadline to apply is Thursday, February 27, 2020 by 4:30 pm. You may vote medical and business emergency, if you qualify, on Friday, February 28, 2020 and Monday March 2, 2020. The business emergency application requires that you sign an affidavit stating you were not aware until after the November 1st deadline that you had to go out of town on business.

Any qualified elector of this State may vote an Absentee ballot, provided they meet the requirements (17-10-1 et seq., Code of Alabama), as contained in the application, which is available in the office of the Absentee Election Manager/Circuit Clerk, located in Room 220 of the Monroe County Courthouse, 65 North Alabama Ave., Monroeville, AL. 36460. Applications are also available for download here.

After completing and signing the application, the voter may hand the application to the Absentee Election Manager/Circuit Clerk or forward it by U.S. Mail. NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO BRING IN AN APPLICATION FOR ANOTHER PERSON (not even a spouse or family member ), the only exception being a Designee for a Medical Emergency. By law, the Absentee Election Manager/Circuit Clerk can only accept one application per envelope that is received by U.S. Mail. The application must provide the Alabama residence address where the voter is registered to vote, even if the ballot is to be mailed to another address where the applicant/voter regularly receives mail.

The Absentee Election Manager/Circuit Clerk may hand the ballot to the applicant/voter, or forward it by U.S. Mail to the applicant's/voter's residence address or upon written request to the address where the applicant/voter regularly receives mail. NO ONE CAN RECEIVE OR RETURN A BALLOT FOR ANY OTHER PERSON (not even a spouse or family member), exception being a Designee for Medical Emergency. INSTRUCTIONS WILL ACCOMPANY EACH BALLOT AND MUST BE FOLLOWED CAREFULLY TO INSURE THAT YOUR BALLOT IS COUNTED.

A copy of photo identification (§ 17-10A-1, Code of Alabama) must accompany the ballot. The law provides for Provisional Ballot where:

  1. identification is not properly provided.
  2. the voter is not identified as appearing in the precinct for which the voter seeks a ballot.
  3. an absentee precinct inspector or clerk has knowledge that the individual is not entitled to vote at the precinct applicable to the voter's ballot and challenges the voter's right to vote a particular ballot. The law provides ways for voters to correct deficiencies so that provisional ballots can be counted. Section 17-10A-2, Code of Alabama.

Ballots must be returned by the voter in person to the Absentee Election Manager/Circuit Clerk's office no later than 4:30 pm on Monday, March 2, 2020, or, if mailed, must be postmarked no later than one day prior to the election and received in the mail no later than noon March 3, 2020. Business emergency ballots must be voted in the office in person and handed to the Absentee Election Manager/Circuit Clerk. Medical emergency ballots must be returned no later than noon on Election Day.

Any person desiring to vote Absentee may come by the Circuit Clerk's office, Room 220 in the Monroe County Courthouse, 65 North Alabama Ave., Monroeville, AL. 36460.

If you need further information about voting Absentee, you may call the Circuit Clerk/Absentee Election Manager at the Circuit Clerk's office, (251) 743-2283.

Please Note: If you do not know your voting precinct you can call the Board of Registrars at (251) 743-4107 or go to www.alabamavotes.gov for this information. Please update your address prior to applying for an Absentee ballot so that you will receive the correct ballot for your current address.

Absentee Voting Information

Here you can find answers to your questions about topics such as eligibility for an absentee ballot, applying for an absentee ballot, and casting an absentee ballot.

For statewide elections, absentee ballot applications and completed absentee ballots should be hand delivered or mailed to the Absentee Election Manager for your county. You can find the address for your county's Absentee Election Manager here.

MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS

Military and overseas voters may now choose to receive their ballots for Federal offices either electronically or by regular U.S. mail. Please click here for more information.

Alabama citizens who are members of the Uniformed Services and their family members, merchant marine, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Alabama overseas citizens can find additional information on absentee voting here.

Absentee Voting Eligibility

A voter may cast an absentee ballot if he or she

  • WILL BE ABSENT FROM THE COUNTY on election day
  • IS ILL OR HAS A PHYSICAL DISABILITY that prevents a trip to the polling place
  • IS A REGISTERED ALABAMA VOTER LIVING OUTSIDE THE COUNTY, such as a member of the armed forces, a voter employed outside the United States, a college student, or a spouse or child of such a person
  • IS AN APPOINTED ELECTION OFFICER OR POLL WATCHER at a polling place other than his or her regular polling place
  • WORKS A REQUIRED SHIFT, 10-HOURS OR MORE, that coincides with polling hours

BUSINESS/MEDICAL EMERGENCY VOTING applications can be made after the absentee deadline but no later than 5 PM on the day before the election, if the voter:

  • is required by an employer under unforeseen circumstances to be out of the county on election day for an emergency business trip, or
  • has a medical emergency requiring treatment from a licensed physician

In addition to application information outlined in the next section, the business emergency application contains an affidavit acknowledging that the voter was not aware of the out-of-county business trip prior to the normal absentee ballot deadline. The medical emergency application requires that the attending physician describe and certify the circumstances as constituting an emergency.

Absentee Ballot Application

To obtain an absentee ballot, write or visit the local Absentee Election Manager (usually the Circuit Clerk), request an absentee ballot, and provide the following:

  • name and residential address (or other such information in order to verify voter registration)
  • election for which the ballot is requested
  • reason for absence from polls on election day
  • party choice, if the election is a party primary. (It is not necessary to give a party choice for a general election; however, in a party primary a voter may participate in only one political party's primary; thus a choice must be designated so that the appropriate ballot can be provided. If the voter declines or fails to designate a choice for a primary or primary runoff ballot, the absentee election manager may send only the ballot for constitutional amendments.)
  • address to which the ballot should be mailed
  • voter signature (If a mark is made in place of a signature, it must be witnessed)

The absentee ballot application must be returned to the Absentee Election Manager by the voter in person (or by the voter's designee in the case of medical emergency voting) or by U.S. Mail.  No absentee ballot application may be mailed in the same envelope as another voter's absentee ballot application. Upon receiving the absentee ballot application, the Absentee Election Manager may request additional evidence on the reason for voting absentee if the voter has a history of absentee voting. The absentee ballot applications must turned in no later than the fifth calendar day before the election.

BALLOT RECEIPT/RETURN If the absentee ballot application is approved, the Absentee Election Manager

  • forwards the absentee ballot by U.S. Mail, or
  • personally hands the absentee ballot to the voter (or to a designee in the case of emergency voting)

Ballot Procedure

The absentee ballot comes with three envelopes -- one plain (the secrecy envelope), one with an affidavit, or oath, printed on the outside, and one plain envelope, preaddressed (the outer envelope). Once the voter casts the ballot, the procedure is as follows:

  • Seal the ballot in the plain envelope
  • Place the plain envelope inside the accompanying affidavit envelope
  • Seal the affidavit envelope and complete the affidavit that is on the outside of the envelope
  • Sign the affidavit and have the signature witnessed by either a notary public or two witnesses 18 years of age or older
  • Place the affidavit envelope and a COPY of voter identification inside the outer envelope
  • Remember to place a copy of your I.D. (NOT THE ORIGINAL) inside the outer envelope

WITNESSES OR NOTARIZATION An absentee ballot cannot be counted unless the affidavit is notarized or has the signatures of two witnesses.

The voter has only the following legal ways to return the absentee ballot:

  • forwards the absentee ballot by U.S. Mail, or
  • personally hands the absentee ballot to the absentee election manager (or delivers by a designee in the case of emergency absentee voting)

VOTING DEADLINE An absentee ballot returned by mail must be postmarked no later than the day prior to the election and received by the Absentee Election Manager no later than noon on election day. If hand-delivered, the ballot must be in the office of the Absentee Election Manager by the close of business (but no later than 5 p.m.) on the day prior to the election.

Voter Resources