The March 3 primaries in Alabama are only the beginning of a long political year, with offices sought ranging from the highest in the nation to county posts across the state.

To better equip your 2020 voting for the long haul, we have put together a toolbox of information for voters. If you don’t find your answers here, the go-to clearinghouse for information is the Secretary of State’s AlabamaVotes.gov site.

Polling and Voting Information

If you need registration information, your polling place, the status of your provisional ballot or to check to see if your absentee ballot was counted. Find it online  at https://myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/VoterView/RegistrantSearch.do

The site also gives information on which local, state and national voting districts apply to you.

If a voter’s name is not on the voter list at the polls or the voter does not have approved ID at the time of voting, he or she can cast a provisional ballot. Those ballots will be kept in a separate location at the polls, and it is up to the county Board of Registrars to determine whether the vote is valid after election day.

Voters must present ID at the polls before voting. Acceptable forms of ID include a driver’s license, a non-driver ID, a photo voter ID,  a federally issued ID or passport, military ID, college ID or any form of state-issued ID, such as a temporary ID from the Department of Corrections or a jail or prison movement/booking sheet, provided the voter also has an ID with a photo. For more clarification, voters may call 1-800-274-8683.

Problems at the Polls

To report election, voter or campaign financing fraud, hotlines at the Secretary of State’s Office can be reached by fax at 800-274-8683 or by phone at 334-242-7210 or 334-242-2444.

You also can make fraud complaints online. Or report fraud by mail to the Elections Division Office of the Secretary of State, P.O. Box 5616, Montgomery, Al. 36130.

If poll officials cannot resolve a voting problem, call Jefferson County Probate Judge Alan King at 205-325-5203.

In Shelby County, a voter complaint form can be gotten from an election official. The form has to be filed out and then mailed to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Precinct Changes

Nine precinct changes have been made in Jefferson County. The list can be found at https://jeffcoprobatecourt.com/.

Provisional Voting

If a voter’s name is not on the voter list at the polls or the voter does not have approved ID at the time of voting, he or she can cast a provisional ballot. Those ballots will be kept in a separate location at the polls, and it is up to the county Board of Registrars to determine whether the vote is valid after election day. You can find the status of your provisional ballot here.

Required ID

Voters must present identification at the polls before voting. Acceptable forms of ID include a driver’s license, a non-driver ID, a photo voter ID,  a federally issued ID or passport, military ID, college ID or any form of state-issued ID, such as a temporary ID from the Department of Corrections or a jail or prison movement/booking sheet, provided the voter also has an ID with a photo. For more clarification, voters may call 1-800-274-8683.

On the Ballots

The only races on the March 3 ballots are ones in which more than one person within a party are running for the seat. Races in which only one person qualified to run in a race are not printed on the ballots, but they will be on the general election ballot in November. That’s why Sen. Doug Jones’ name isn’t on the Democratic ballot, for instance.

Voters will find that there are no Democrats seeking election to the state Supreme Court or courts of Criminal Appeals and Civil Appeals, either in the primaries or the general election. That means that whoever wins the Republican nomination in those races March 3 or in a runoff, if one is necessary, is almost assured of winning the office in the Nov. 3 general election.

There are other local races that also have no opposition in one or the other of the parties.

If necessary, a runoff election is scheduled for March 31.

All voters can decide the fate of proposed constitutional Amendment 1, which if passed will allow the governor to appoint, with Senate approval, members of the State Board of Education, who are now elected.

The Secretary of State’s complete voter guide with detailed requirements and directions for voting can be found here.