National Voter Registration Day: Verify Status, Apply for Absentee Here

It's the fourth Tuesday in September, so that means it's National Voter Registration Day. This holiday serves as a means to raise awareness on voter registration, make sure people are registered, and know what their options are for how to vote.

Here in Tuscaloosa and throughout the state, voters can register online but must do so no later than 15 days prior to Election Day. The latest Alabamians can register is:

• Online: Oct. 19 by 11:59 p.m.
• By Mail: Postmarked by Oct. 19
• In-Person: Oct. 19 by close of business

Citizens can find voter applications at a number of locations across Tuscaloosa:

• License and Tag offices in Downtown Tuscaloosa, Northport, and Skyland Blvd. Annex
• Main Tuscaloosa Library
• Department of Human Resources and Rehabilitation Services
• Tuscaloosa County Board of Registrars in the Courthouse Annex

Voters can also register online here. In order to register, participants must live in the state of Alabama, be a citizen of the United States, be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day, and not be legally barred from voting.

In all instances, citizens are required to present a valid Alabama driver's license or non-driver's identification card.

Tuscaloosa County also offers citizens the ability to vote absentee. To vote absentee, one must meet at least one of the following:

• Expect to be absent from the county on Election Day
• Be ill or have a physical disability that prevents a trip to the polling place
• Live outside of the country, but be registered to vote within the state (Ex. Armed Forces, employment, college student)
• An election official or poll watcher at a polling place other than his or her regular location
• A caregiver for a family member to the second degree who is confined to his or her home
• Someone who is currently incarcerated and has not been convicted of a felony

The deadlines to request and return an absentee ballot are as follows:

• Request By: Oct. 29 by close of business
• Return by Mail: Postmarked by Nov. 2
• Return in Person: Nov. 2 by 5:00 p.m. at 714 Greensboro Avenue Rm 214, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 35401

The deadline to submit an absentee ballot is the fifth day prior to the election.

To request an absentee ballot, contact the Circuit Clerk's Office at 205-464-8259. Citizens will need to provide a name and residential address, a copy of a valid photo ID, and a reason for absence from polls on Election Day.

Once an absentee ballot is received, your name will be removed from the list of registered voters sent to the polls so as to prevent voter fraud by voting twice.

The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3. To make sure you're registered to vote and to verify your polling location, visit here.