Today is Alabama voter registration deadline. How do I check if my registration is active or inactive?

If you're planning to vote in Alabama's midterm elections on Nov. 6, you still have time to register. 

Alabama's voter registration ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22, for voters registering online. However, paper applications postmarked Oct. 22 will be accepted, even if they're delivered after Monday's deadline.

"Paper applications must be postmarked Oct. 22, 2018. Even if received after the cutoff, they will still be processed," Secretary of State Press Secretary John Bennett said.

Voter registration has already surpassed 2016 levels, when 3,330,802 Alabamians registered to vote. 

More than 3,439,000 Alabamians had registered as of Thursday, Oct. 11, according to data provided by the state's Secretary of State's office. 

Read on for information about inactive voter rolls, how to check your registration and which Alabamians are eligible to vote absentee. 

How can I check if my Alabama voter registration is active or inactive? 

In 2017, Alabama's Secretary of State office began a process of verifying voter registration information through a mailer campaign. 

The postcard campaign was sent to every registered voter in Alabama, according to the Secretary of State's website. If the voter information on the card is incorrect or outdated, the voter was asked to mark "return to sender" on the card and mail it back. These cards were not allowed to be forwarded to voters with forwarding addresses on file with the post office. 

Returned postcard would trigger a second round of mailers, according to the website. If the recipient failed to respond to the second postcard, they would be placed on the inactive voter list. 

Secretary of State John Merrill told the Advertiser last week "nobody is ever denied access to the vote when they're listed as inactive" after Democratic congressional candidate Mallory Hagan launched a voter protection committee amid concerns about voters rolls.
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Voters marked inactive can vote on Election Day, according to the Secretary of State's office, but will be asked to update their information at the polls. 

Click here to check your Alabama voter registration status. Registered voters who wish to check or update their current voter registration can do so here. 

Alabamians can also contact the Secretary of State's office Voter Hotline at 1-800-274-8683.

How can I register to vote in Alabama?

There are three basic ways to register to vote in Alabama. 

The quickest way to register is through an online form on the Alabama Secretary of State's website, https://sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes. However, you must have a valid Alabama driver's license or an Alabama non-driver's identification card to register online. Online voter registration will close on the Secretary of State's website at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22. 

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If you don't have a driver's license or non-driver's identification — or if you simply prefer to register in person or by mail— you can download a mail-in voter registration here. The voter registration form can be hand-delivered or mailed to your county Board of Registrars office. 

The Secretary of State's office will also mail forms to anyone who requests one. You can complete an online request for a form here, or call 1-800-274-8683. Alabamians can also request an application by writing to the office. 

  Office of the Secretary of State
    Elections Division
    PO Box 5616
    Montgomery, AL 36103

Alabamians are allowed to apply for and complete absentee ballots up to five days  before Nov. 6. Voters are eligible for absentee ballots if they:

• Work a required shift, 10-hours or longer, that coincides with the polling hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
• Are absent from the county on election day
• Are ill or have a physical disability that prevents a trip to the polling place
• Are registered Alabama voters living outside the county, such as military or college students
• Are appointed election officers or poll watchers

Absentee voters must request ballots from county election managers, which can be found here. Montgomery's Absentee Voting Office is located in the Montgomery County Courthouse at 251 S. Lawrence St. 

Who can vote in Alabama?

To qualify to vote in Alabama, you must be a U.S. citizen and Alabama resident. 

Voters must be 18 on or before Election Day, Nov. 6. Voters can register as 17-year-olds, as long as their birthday falls before or on Election Day. 

Alabamians who have been declared "mentally incompetent" in a court of law and people convicted of certain felonies are barred from voting, according to the Secretary of State's office. 

Alabama's constitution permanently stripped felons convicted of crimes involving "moral turpitude" of their right to vote, but the 1901 document did not clarify which crimes actually fall under the "moral turpitude" label.

In 2017, the Alabama Legislature passed the Definition of Moral Turpitude Act, which defined 46 offenses as "crimes involving moral turpitude," according to The Associated Press. These crimes include murder, sexual abuse and drug trafficking. Drug possession crimes are not included. 

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