August 11 Special Primary Election Voter Information

Poll workers have been selected and notified of the appointment to work in the August 11 Special Primary Election. Now the countdown to the controversial Election is underway.

The reason for the Special Primary Election

Next month's balloting in Congressional Districts 1,2,6, and 7 are the result of months of legal disputes over congressional district maps and how many majority-minority districts the state should have. The way was cleared by the U.S. Supreme Court when it overturned lower court rulings that had declared Alabama's 2023 legislatively designed map unconstitutional. The lower courts had argued Alabama was intentionally diluting black voting power by returning to only one majority-minority district.

That ruling was based on a Louisiana redistricting case, Louisiana v. Callais, where the Supreme Court ruled race cannot be used as the deciding factor in congressional districting.

Votes in the May 19th party primary elections in those four congressional districts were counted and publicized but were not officially counted. That cleared the way for requalifying for the special election.

The Alabama Attorney General's Office spent chaotic time moving voters back around to their previous assigned district and then notifying them where to vote.

The Special Election Voter Timeline

Below is the Special Election Timeline as provided by Secretary of State Wes Allen's Office:

• Monday, 3 August: For any absentee application received on or after the 8th day prior to the election that does not contain a copy of an approved form of identification, the absentee election manager shall issue a provisional ballot to that voter.
• Tuesday, 4 August: Absentee applications returned by mail must be received not less than 7 days prior to the election.
• Tuesday, 4 August: Probate judges must notify election officials of the time and place of holding a school of instruction for poll workers and must publish notice at least 48 hours before instruction school takes place.
• Thursday, 6 August: An application for a voter who requires emergency treatment by a licensed physician within 5 days before an election may be forwarded to the absentee election manager by the applicant or by his or her designee.
• Thursday, 6 August: This is the last day for the authority charged to hold a school of instruction for poll workers; no less than 5 days prior to the election.
• Thursday, 6 August: Absentee applications returned by hand must be received not less than 5 days prior to the election.
• Monday, 10 August: Absentee ballots being returned by hand to the absentee election manager must be received no later than the close of business on the day prior to the election. 
• Tuesday, 11 August: Special Primary Election Day
• Tuesday, 11 August: Absentee ballots being returned by mail to the absentee election manager must be received no later than noon on this day.
• Tuesday, 11 August: This is the last day for military and other UOCAVA voters in the special primary election to postmark an absentee ballot returned by mail to the absentee election manager.
• Tuesday, 11 August: The medical emergency designee must deliver absentee ballots to absentee election manager no later than noon on this day.
• Tuesday, 11 August: The inspector or returning officer must deliver the ballots and returns to the sheriff.
• Wednesday, 12 August: The sheriff must deliver certificate of returns to chairman of county executive committee of each political party participating in special primary election by 10 AM on the Wednesday following the election.
• Wednesday, 12 August: The written affirmations of provisional voters, inspector challenge statements, and voter reidentification forms must be delivered by the sheriff to the board of registrars by noon on the day following the election.
• Friday, 14 August: Deadline for voters whose ballot became provisional due to lack of identification to provide identification (or provisional ballot and identification) including the address and telephone number of the voter to the board of registrars no later than 5 PM.
• Tuesday, 18 August: Absentee ballots submitted by UOCAVA voters must be accepted until noon this day. The ballot must have been postmarked no later than election day and meet all other absentee ballot requirements to be counted.
• Tuesday, 18 August: County executive committee must meet no later than noon and receive, canvass, and tabulate returns by precinct and publicly declare results the Tuesday following the primary.
• Tuesday, 18 August: At noon, the canvassing board for poll workers shall tabulate provisional ballots which have been certified by the board of registrars. The canvassing board must certify the results of the provisional votes cast and must post one copy in the courthouse and must seal one copy into a container designated for each political party 7 days after the election.
• Monday, 24 August: Chairman of state executive committee must meet no later than noon on this day to certify to Secretary of State names of candidates nominated in the special primary election.

The Candidates

U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT 1

Republican

• Lucas Burger
• Jerry Carl
• John Mills
• Austin Sidwell

Democrat

• Clyde Jones

U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT 2

Republican

• Hampton Harris
• Christian Horn
• Rhett Marques
• David Matthews
• Joshua McKee
• James Richardson

Democrat

• Shomari C. Figures (incumbent)

HOUSE DISTRICT 6

Republican

• Case Dixon
• Gary Palmer (incumbent)

Democrat

• Jacob Bouma‑Sims
• Ashtyn Kennedy
• Maurice Mercer
• Keith Pilkington

HOUSE DISTRICT 7

Republican

• Ammie Akin
• David W. Perry

Democrat

• Terri Sewell (incumbent)

There will be no runoffs from the Special Primary Election. The top voter receiver will be their party's nominee in the November 3rd General Election.