2020 election

Trump Sweeps Alabama, Tuberville Ousts Jones for Senate Seat

Donald J. Trump was in a close reelection fight Tuesday night, but it was not close in the Heart of Dixie. Trump won Alabama overwhelmingly over Democrat Joe Biden, just as he did in 2016 when he defeated Hillary Clinton. And keeping with their strong preference for Republican candidates, Alabama voters chose former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, a political newcomer whose campaign was largely based on his loyalty to Trump, to replace Democratic incumbent Doug Jones in the U.S. Senate. Unofficial returns from all 67 counties this morning showed Trump leading Biden by about 62% to 36% in Alabama. Almost as soon as polling places around the state closed, The Associated Press declared Trump the winner, and thus he will win the state’s nine electoral votes, just as he did in 2016 when he won 63% of the votes against Democratic nominee Clinton. Tuberville, meanwhile, was leading Jones by a margin of about 60% to 39%, though Jones was ahead by 58% to 41% in the state’s most populous county of Jefferson and by an even bigger margin in Montgomery County. Read more.

Tuberville Reclaims Senate Seat for the Republicans

Tommy Tuberville defeated incumbent Sen. Doug Jones in Tuesday’s election, reclaiming Alabama’s junior Senate seat for Republicans after the party’s surprise loss in a special election three years ago. With 65 of 67 counties reporting at midnight, Tuberville had 62% of the vote to Jones’ 38%.   Tuberville, a former head football coach for Auburn University, had easily defeated the seat’s previous occupant, Jeff Sessions, in July’s Republican runoff. From there, he shifted to a minimalist campaign approach, eschewing debates and mostly avoiding public and media appearances, counting on his name recognition and Alabama’s deep-rooted conservative politics to push him to victory. Even in the primary, his campaign was painted in broad strokes. Tuberville portrayed himself as a loyalist to President Donald Trump, echoing his promises to “drain the swamp” – i.e., remove corruption from Washington — and to “build the wall” along America’s border with Mexico. When he appeared onstage Tuesday night to give his acceptance speech, he promised supporters that his first term as senator would “be guided by our shared values, conservative values, and I will vote for the majority people of the state of Alabama and not for a party like Doug Jones did.” Read more.

Long Voter Line Spurs Good Samaritans to Action

While some people are concerned solely with who wins on Election Day, Deb and Charlie O’Hara were worried about people they didn’t know in neighboring Jefferson County at Legion Field. The residents of unincorporated North Shelby County cast their ballots about two days ago, but they couldn’t sit idle as they saw others performing their civic duty in a television report this morning. The thought of them enduring the hot sun or freezing cold – “We weren’t sure which one it was going to be,” – spurred the couple to action. “We saw the line this morning here. They showed it on the news, a big, long line,” Deb O’Hara said. “We just went over to Costco and bought a bunch of snacks and stuff and bottled water. We just thought we’d give it out. We just wanted to do something nice for people.”

Report Problems at the Polls

BirminghamWatch has partnered with ProPublica to offer Alabama voters the opportunity to notify us if problems arise at the polls. Read more.

Report Problems at the Polls

BirminghamWatch has partnered with ProPublica to offer Alabama voters the opportunity to notify us if problems arise at the polls. Read more.

Voters Encounter Long Lines, but Alabama Expects to Deliver Election Results by Wednesday

Long lines were reported at many polling places in the Birmingham area today, but no major problems were reported despite projects of a record voter turnout for the hotly contested presidential and U.S. Senate races. State and local officials said they expect to finish the vote count in Alabama by Wednesday morning. Barry Stephenson, chairman of the Jefferson County Board of Registrars, said there had been no instances of serious problems. Voter turnout is predicted to hit 68% to 75%, corresponding to 2.5 million to 2.8 million people voting, according to Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill. The state already has seen a record number of absentee ballots returned — 300,402, as of Monday morning. Read more.

Voters’ FAQs

Information you'll need at the polls. Read more.

Jones Tells Supporters He Can Beat Tuberville, Despite What Polls Say

Sen. Doug Jones visited his hometown of Fairfield on Saturday afternoon, one of many stops throughout Alabama during the final days of his re-election campaign. Standing in the parking lot of Urban Smoke Bar & Grill and flanked by his wife Louise, son Carson and U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, Jones told supporters to disregard polls that show him trailing his opponent, former Auburn football head coach Tommy Tuberville. “We know better,” he said, urging his supporters to “remember the feeling” of his previous victory against Roy Moore in December 2017, which had also been a surprise. Jones argued he could pull off the same surprise in Tuesday’s election. He said his campaign’s internal polling data “is right where we want it.” Read more.

2020 BirminghamWatch Voter Guide

Voters head to the polls Nov. 3 for what could be a record-breaking election. At the top of the ticket is the Donald Trump-Joe Biden showdown for the White House. But Alabama also has to decide whom to send to the U.S. Senate, former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, a Republican, or Sen. Doug Jones, who three years ago was the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama in 25 years. Also up for grabs are races for the Alabama Public Service Commission presidency and a seat on the state Board of Education. In Jefferson County, contested races also include a district court judgeship, deputy treasurer, tax assessor, assistant tax assessor and assistant tax collector. Voters also have six amendments to decide – seven in Shelby County. The BirminghamWatch 2020 Voter Guide gives you information to navigate through the voting process. You’ll find profiles of the candidates, an explanation of the amendments, printable sample ballots and information about voting and going to the polls. Read more. BirminghamWatch 2020 Voter Guide

Printable Sample Ballots for Jefferson and Shelby Counties

List of Candidates with Profiles

Your Guide to Alabama’s 2020 Constitutional Amendments

Voters' FAQs.

Jones Runs Aggressive Campaign to Maintain Senate Seat for the Democrats

With a Commanding Lead in Polls, Tuberville Shuns Media and Jones While Embracing Trump

Poll Watchers Have Strict Rules to Follow, and So Do Others at the Polls

Check your registration status, find your polling place and check the status of your absentee ballot

Hundreds Stand in Line to Vote Thursday, the Last Day to Apply for an Absentee Ballot

The line of absentee voters for Tuesday’s election was long and steady this morning outside the Park Place entrance to the Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham, with voters waiting up to an hour or more to enter the courthouse and proceed to the absentee vote manager’s office on the fifth floor. Today was the last day for Alabama voters to turn in absentee ballot applications to their county absentee voting manager, which in Jefferson County is the circuit clerk. Outside the courthouse in Birmingham, prospective voters were receiving numbered slips of paper that they needed to gain entry to the courthouse, and by 11:30 a.m., more than 400 had been given slips, with dozens waiting to get theirs. Read more.