2026 Midterms State GuideAlabama
Hold on to your Conecuh and boiled peanuts.
Polls are closed
Polls are closed in Alabama, and results aren’t finalized yet.
Ballots are still being counted, close races can take days to call, and no result is official until it’s certified.
A prayer for Alabama
Lord, we lift up Alabama. In their divisions, draw near to voters as they enter the ballot box, and unite them in the things that matter most. Give them unconditional love for their neighbors. Help them prioritize the good of their communities and the glory of Your name above all. May they cast their votes with conviction and hold the outcome with open hands.
Read the whole prayerUpdated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you... the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your Conecuh and boiled peanuts, and let’s get into it.
Alabama at a glance
Alabama votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, U.S. Senate, all 7 U.S. House seats and four statewide ballot measures.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 19: Voter registration deadline
- Governor
- 3 candidates
- U.S. Senate
- 2 candidates
- U.S. House
- 7 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- 4
What happens next
The counting continues
Election-night numbers are unofficial. Mail, provisional, and military ballots are still being counted, so close races can take days to call.
Officials double-check the count
Local election officials review the ballots and the tallies (the canvass). A very close race can go to a recount.
Alabama certifies the results
Results become official once Alabama certifies them, usually a few weeks after Election Day.
Winners take office
The new Congress takes office in early January. Governors and other state officials take office on dates set by state law, most of them in January too.
Important dates
- May 19Primaries (runoffs June 16) This date has passed.
- Oct. 19Voter registration deadline This date has passed.
- Oct. 27Last day to apply for an absentee ballot by mail This date has passed.
- Oct. 29Last day to apply for an absentee ballot in person This date has passed.
- Nov. 2Last day to hand-deliver an absentee ballot This date has passed.
- Nov. 3Election Day, polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; absentee ballots returned by mail must be received by 12 p.m. This date has passed.
What’s at stake
An open gubernatorial race and a newly redrawn congressional map make this a consequential year for the Yellowhammer State. When it comes to important issues, a 2025 Public Affairs Research Council survey found that 72% of Alabamians believe the state is underfunding public education, and two-thirds say the same about healthcare. But nearly half (49%) feel they're already paying too much in taxes. On the congressional front, SCOTUS cleared the way for Alabama to revert to a Republican-drawn map, shifting the expected House delegation from 5R-2D to 6R-1D.
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
Alabama is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 3 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 3 picked
- Top priorities
Doug JonesDemocrat- Pausing new data centers for one year, with no tax breaks or secret deals for the companies
- Lowering costs by eliminating the grocery tax, ending taxes on overtime and raising the minimum wage
- Creating jobs through a state Earned Income Tax Credit, more child care options and free community college for adults
Tommy TubervilleRepublicancurrent U.S. Senator
Top priorities- Opposing DEI programs, Critical Race Theory, transgender athletes in women's sports and taxpayer-funded abortions
- Bringing jobs to Alabama by lowering taxes, reducing government waste and bringing back manufacturing
- Securing the border and working with federal authorities to deport immigrants who commit crimes
Ronald Burnette Jr.Independentwrite-in
Top priorities- Expanding transportation options for commuters in metropolitan areas
- Creating closely monitored housing programs that offer quality homes and a path to ownership
- Investing in public schools, expanding trades education and giving parents more say in their children's schooling
- Get to know ’em
Everett WessDemocrat
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
This year, SCOTUS said “snip snap” to Alabama’s map. The Yellowhammer state used to have a Congressional map that was split 5R-2D, and it tried to redistrict to a 2023 map split 6R-1D. A lower court blocked the 2023 map in May 2026, but Alabama appealed. This is where their primaries get wonky… Districts 3, 4, and 5 proceeded as normal, with the old map, but the state held off on districts 1, 2, 6, and 7 to see if the Supreme Court would unblock the 2023 map, and SCOTUS did.
- Shadrach’s big picture
Alabamians will elect seven candidates to represent them in the U.S. House. Under the 2023 map, Republicans are expected to hold six of those seats (up from five under the old map).
- Open seats
One: AL-1’s Rep. Barry Moore is running for U.S. Senate.
- The redistricting effect
After a June Supreme Court order, Alabama was able to revert to its 2023 map, dropping from two districts where Black residents are about half or more of voters to one. Rep. Shomari Figures' (D) 2nd District loses Mobile and the western Black Belt and gains more of the Republican-leaning Wiregrass, cutting its Black voting-age population from about 49% to 40%; Cook now rates it likely Republican. Rep. Terri Sewell's (D) 7th District stays majority-Black and solidly Democratic.
- Competitive districts
None of Alabama's districts are considered competitive (AL-7 is solidly Democratic and the rest are solidly or likely Republican). Still, candidates in both parties filed to run in every district, so no district is guaranteed to either party.
Statewide ballot measures
4 to read before you go. Tap one to open it.
Right now, if Alabama's lieutenant governor seat goes empty, it just... stays empty until the next election cycle. This amendment would change that by requiring a special election to fill the vacancy, as long as it happens more than 60 days before the next general election. It would also let the legislature set the salaries of the lieutenant governor and its own members (currently tied to a formula based on median household income and the speaker's salary).
Voting yessupports requiring a special election when the lieutenant governor’s seat opens more than 60 days before the next general election, and letting the legislature set the salaries of the lieutenant governor and its own membersVoting noopposes this constitutional amendment and keeps the current system, where the seat stays vacant and salaries stay formula-based.This amendment creates a legal pathway for two or more county school boards to merge into one. Before any merger can happen, the State Board of Education would have to study the impact first, and residents in affected districts would have 30 days to push back through a formal initiative process.
Voting yessupports creating a way for two or more county school boards to merge into one, after a State Board of Education study and a 30-day window for residents to push backVoting noopposes this constitutional amendment, leaving county school boards with no legal pathway to mergeThis amendment would require every public K-12 school to start the day with the Pledge of Allegiance, and allow students to organize and lead their own prayers. Both would be student-driven; no school staff required to lead either. Students who don't want to participate can opt out.
Voting yessupports requiring every public K-12 school to start the day with the Pledge of Allegiance and allowing students to organize and lead their own prayers, with an opt-out for students who don’t want to take partVoting noopposes this constitutional amendment, leaving the daily Pledge requirement and the student-led prayer provision out of the state constitutionThis amendment would require all public schools to broadcast or arrange for the performance of the first stanza of the Star-Spangled Banner at least once per week.
Voting yessupports requiring every public school to broadcast or arrange a performance of the first stanza of the Star-Spangled Banner at least once a weekVoting noopposes this constitutional amendment, leaving the weekly Star-Spangled Banner requirement out of the state constitution
Also on the ballot
Other races Alabama voters will decide.
- Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of State
- Auditor
- Agriculture Commissioner
- Treasurer
- Public Service Commission (2 seats)
- State Board of Education (4 seats)
- State Senate
- State House
- Special state legislative
- State Supreme Court
- Intermediate appellate courts
- School boards
- Municipal government
- Local ballot measures
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
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From the newsroom
How TPO has covered Alabama this cycle. Tap one to read it here.
Map Madness
Read the full day’s newsAmerica’s redistricting frenzy hit the Southern stage this week.
Thursday, Tennessee’s legislature voted in a special-called session to split Memphis into three districts, potentially eliminating the state’s only Democratic congressional seat.
Friday, Alabama’s attorney general appealed to the Supreme Court, asking them to lift an injunction on the state’s current court-drawn map and to use a previously-rejected 2023 map. The appeal came after Alabama Governor Ivey signed legislation allowing for new U.S. House primaries if the courts approve the request. Also Friday, Virginia’s high court voted 4-3 to strike down a voter-approved redistricting amendment that might’ve given Democrats four extra seats, ruling lawmakers had violated the constitutional procedure.
Meanwhile, Louisiana and South Carolina are also considering new maps to reduce the number of Democratic-majority districts, prompting outcries from Democrats and voting rights groups.
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Verse to consider when election season and conversations around redistricting stir up fear, misplaced hope, anxiety, or anger… “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16 (CSB) (read full passage)The redistricting wars landed on the Supreme Court’s doorstep twice Monday. Virginia Democrats asked the Supremes to reinstate a voter-approved map their own Supreme Court struck down last week—costing four potential blue House pickups. The Court also cleared Alabama to use a map eliminating one of its two majority-Black/Democratic districts following the Court’s April decision narrowing the Voting Rights Act.
One story from that day’s newsletter.
Read the full day’s newsAlabama’s congressional map is now 0-for-2. A three-federal-judge panel ruled Tuesday to block the Yellowhammer State from using a 2023 version of its map in the midterms. Judges said the plan, which would eliminate one of Alabama’s two majority-Black districts and gain Republicans one seat, "intentionally discriminated based on race.” AG Marshall said Alabama will appeal to the Supreme Court.
One story from that day’s newsletter.
Read the full day’s newsPrimary-Palooza
Read the full day’s newsThe six-state primary stage was set in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Carolina, Alabama, Vermont, and Connecticut yesterday.
All blue eyes were on swing-state Wisconsin’s gubernatorial Democratic bid between democratic socialist Rep. Hong and Milwaukee County Executive Crowley, mirroring Michigan’s recent progressive-vs-moderate clash. Hong’s grassroots campaign rose to fame despite scrutiny over past social media posts, but some Dems worry she won’t survive the general election against Trump-backed GOP Rep. Tiffany.
In Minnesota, President Trump’s winning endorsement streak was tested by backing former MyPillow CEO Lindell, who has faced multiple lawsuits, in the Republican primary. The winner will take on Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN) to replace Governor Walz (D) in a state embattled with immigration controversy and welfare fraud.
Meanwhile, Senator Darline Graham faced nine Republican challengers to replace her late brother Senator Lindsey Graham on South Carolina’s November ballot.
See each state’s winner here.
__Verse to consider whether you’re watching the polls, watching your tongue, or watching for a pot to boil, “The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”
Exodus 15:2 (CSB) (read full passage)
A prayer for Alabama
Lord, we lift up Alabama. In their divisions, draw near to voters as they enter the ballot box, and unite them in the things that matter most. Give them unconditional love for their neighbors. Help them prioritize the good of their communities and the glory of Your name above all. May they cast their votes with conviction and hold the outcome with open hands.
Shield candidates from the temptation to win at any cost. May they lead with humility and remember that the people they seek to represent belong to You before they belong to any party. If they win, surround them with wise counsel and guide them toward decisions that serve their constituents. For those who lose, may they do so with dignity and a unifying spirit.
Guard the hearts and minds of those weighed down by the noise, grieved by the division, or afraid of what comes next. For You are not shaken by elections; You govern governors, and Your kingdom will not be moved.
Amen.