General Election voting rules

By Deborah Goodwin

The Selma Times-Journal

It’s election time again.

Exercise your right to vote.

On Tuesday, Nov. 7, politicians will be making their last pleas to voters to cast votes in their favor in the General Election &045; 30 feet away from polling doors, of course.

It’s important that registered voters go to the polls to cast their votes, but they need to know how to vote. In a general election, voters do not have to vote straight Democratic or Republican.

A voter may split the ticket and vote for any political party, independent or write-in candidate.

If you have not registered to vote, it’s never to late to register, however, the registration deadline for the upcoming election has passed.

Oct. 27 was the deadline &045; voter registration applications must be postmarked 10 days prior to any election.

Also passed is the deadline for applying for an absentee ballot &045; Nov. 2.

For those of you that are registered, but need to update your registration information, you can still vote.

You should be able to update your registration information at your polling place or registrars office.

If you have moved to another county, you must re-register in your currently residing county.

If you have lost your voting rights due to a felony conviction, you rights may be restored by request by applying for a Certificate of Eligibility.

For further information, contact the Alabama Board of Pardons at (334) 242-8700.

Should you find yourself at the poll without your voter registration card, don’t worry, this will not prevent you from voting. Many forms of ID are valid &045; according to Alabama’s voter identification law, Act 2003-381 &045;

such as a paycheck with your name and address, a valid pistol/revolver permit or even a valid electronics benefit transfer (EBT) card.

Now that you have the facts, get ready to roll up your sleeves and mark your ballot.

For more information on voting rights, facts and laws, visit www.sos.state.al.us.

For those of you who have missed the boat for this election, you can still register to vote in the next election by calling the Dallas County Registrars office at (334) 874-2534 or the Secretary of State’s office at 1-800-274-8683.

The Republican Party Chairman or a representative was unavailable for comment.