Government

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.

Senate Confirmation of Barrett for the Supreme Court

Voterama in Congress WASHINGTON — Voting 52 for and 48 against, the Senate on Oct. 26 confirmed Amy Coney Barrett, 48, as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, replacing the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett had been a federal appeals judge since 2018 and University of Notre Dame law professor starting in 2002. Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, R, voted to confirm Barrett; Sen. Doug Jones, D, voted against the confirmation. 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.

Today is the Deadline to Apply to Vote by Absentee

Thursday is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot. So if you have decided that in-person absentee voting is your best option, it’s time to bite the bullet and go line up at the courthouse. Read more. Getting ready to vote? Find the information you need to make your decisions in the 2020 BirminghamWatch Voter Guide.