Designating an Individual to Deliver Absentee Ballot and Application

If HB 31 is passed, these changes will be made:

• Voters in Alabama who are disabled, blind, or unable to read or write can choose a person to deliver their application for an absentee ballot, and their filled-out absentee ballot, to the absentee election manager.

  • Absentee Ballot: a way to vote when you can’t go to the voting place on Election Day. You get your voting paper in the mail, fill it out at home, and send it back, so your vote still counts.

  • Absentee election manager: the person in charge of making sure people who vote by mail (instead of going to a polling place) can do so. They handle the applications for mail-in ballots, send out the ballots, and make sure all the votes are collected and counted safely and fairly.

• A "disabled voter" is defined as a person who is unable to handle absentee ballot applications or ballots without help because of a physical disability that either lasts for a short amount of time or for the rest of their life.

• The bill will have voters use more envelopes for absentee ballots. A third envelope will be given to voters who have to prove their identity.

  • Voters will now use a "secrecy envelope," which will be closed inside an "affidavit envelope," and then placed into a "return mail envelope."

• Disabled voters may have the person they ask for help mail or hand-deliver the return mail envelope.

• Voters must have their affidavit envelopes signed by a notary public or two witnesses. 

  • Affidavit envelope: a special envelope used for voting. You write your name and sign it to promise that you are the one voting. 

• Voters who need to prove their identity a second time will be given another envelope with forms and instructions. 

  • These ballots will be treated like provisional ballots, which will be written on the affidavit envelope

    • Provisional ballot: like a backup vote. If there's a question about whether someone is allowed to vote, like if their name isn’t on the list at the voting place, they still get to fill out a ballot. But this ballot is set aside and checked later to make sure everything is okay before it gets counted.

• If the bill passes, the changes will take effect on October 1, 2025.