HOUSTON COUNTY ABSENTEE ELECTION MANAGER’S OFFICE

Location:      Houston County Courthouse, Room 417 114 North Oates Street

Dothan, Alabama 36303

Hours:          Monday – Friday

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m./1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Phone:          334-671-8700

How To Obtain Absentee Ballot Application:

• Houston County Absentee Election Manager’s Office


• Secretary of State's web page: www.alabamavotes.gov
  
  
  
  • United States Armed Forces members, including spouses, should contact their commanding Officer for an application or may go online: www.alabamavotes.gov
  
  
  
  

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU ABSENTEE VOTE

Under ACT 2019-507, absentee ballot applications must now be accompanied by a copy of current, valid photo identification, unless the voter is exempt from the identification requirement. Failing to provide the identification will result in your ballot becoming a provisional ballot.

Separate applications for absentee ballots are required for elections which are more than 42 days apart, except as to individuals voting pursuant to the Federal Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act, 42 U.S.C. 1973ff. Primary and Primary Runoff, should there be one, would only require one application, but you must request and select for both.

To be issued an absentee ballot in primary elections, voters must specify on the application if they want a Democrat or Republican ballot.

Each application must be mailed separately. Multiple applications cannot be mailed in the same envelope, even if the voters live at the same address.

Completed absentee applications must provide the Alabama residence where the voter is currently registered to vote, even if the ballot is to be mailed to another address where the applicant voter regularly receives mail. Note: If you have moved and have not updated your polling place, contact the local Board of Registrars and update your address prior to applying for an absentee ballot.

Applications for an absentee ballot must be signed by the actual voter and need not be witnessed unless the voter signs by a mark. The use of Power of Attorney or any other third- party to sign and/or deliver the application is prohibited. Completed applications can only be accepted by the actual voter in person or by mail or commercial carrier. Family members or other third-party delivery is not allowed.

The absentee election manager shall forward absentee ballots by US Mail to the applicant’s residence address or upon written request of the voter to the address where the voter regularly receives mail or by handing the ballot to the voter in person or, in the case of medical emergency voting, to his or her designee in person.

Voters must complete all the information on the Affidavit of the absentee voter envelope.

The Affidavit must be signed or marked by the actual voter and witnessed by two witnesses 18 years of age or older or by a Notary Public or other officer authorized to acknowledge oaths prior to being delivered or mailed to the Absentee Election Manager. Failure to do so will result in the ballot not being counted. The use of Power of Attorney or any other third-party to sign or mark for the voter the Affidavit is prohibited.

The absentee election manager may not give any person access to completed and filed applications for absentee ballots. This information is not a matter of public record. It is considered privileged information just the same as voter registration applications.

WHO MAY APPLY

Qualified voters can apply for an absentee ballot that can be cast by mail, commercial carrier or in person at the absentee election manager's office, if he or she makes application in writing not less than five days prior to the election and meets one of the following requirements:

1. The voter expects to be out of the county or state on Election Day.
   
   
   1. The voter has any physical illness or infirmity which prevents his or her attendance at the polls, whether he or she is within or without the county on the day of election.
   
   
   2. The voter expects to work a shift which has at least 10 hours which coincide with the hours the polls are open at his or her regular polling place.
   
   
   3. The voter is enrolled as a student at an educational institution located outside the county of his or her personal residence (attendance) at which prevents his or her attendance at the polls.
   
   
   4. The voter is a member of, or spouse or dependent of a member of, the armed forces of the United States or is similarly qualified to vote absentee pursuant to the Federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, 42 U.S.C. 1973ff.
   
   
   5. The voter has been appointed as an election officer or named as a poll watcher at a polling place other than his or her regular polling place.
   
   
   6. The voter is a caregiver for a family member to the second degree of kinship who is confined to their home.
   
   
   7. The voter is incarcerated in prison or jail, but has not been disqualified by conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude as defined by T17-3-30.1