Be prepared to vote Tuesday

 

 

Notice: The Mt. Olive voting facility has moved to the new Goodwater Fire Station 3 in Mt. Olive.

 

The 2026 Primary Election is Tuesday, May 19. The Primary Runoff Election will be held June 16. After the primary, Coosa County will have no local, county candidates who will face a runoff on June 16. However, I expect there will be runoffs for some of the state offices.

The primary elections are “party” elections, and as such, the voter must request a Democratic, Republican, or Constitutional Amendment Only ballot. There are no Libertarians on the primary ballot. There is no write-in voting in Alabama primaries.

As always, Christa and “The Coosa County News” staff have done an outstanding job providing election information and publishing all my election-related legal notices. The purpose of all this is to inform our voters about all aspects of the election. We want our voters to be educated, aware and informed on the many aspects of the election.

Not only do voters need to know which offices will be on the ballot; they also need to know who is vying for the offices. Voters need to know who is eligible to vote, where to vote and most importantly when to vote.

In addition, it is not necessary to vote for every office on the ballot. If a voter doesn’t know any candidates for a particular office or just doesn’t want to cast a vote for an office, that is strictly the voter’s decision. It will not affect how the ballot is tabulated or the votes cast are counted.

We do all of this to quell rumors and prevent election misinformation and/or disinformation. People providing misinformation and disinformation seem to get worse every election cycle. Especially with the social media rumor mill.

Misinformation is simply a misunderstanding of the facts that are repeated and gains steam as it circulates. There is no malice intended with misinformation. I advise every voter to do their homework and find the facts before casting their ballots. If you hear a rumor, check it out before repeating or reposting it. Often misinformation is a result of disinformation.

However, disinformation is different. Disinformation is intended to cause voter frustration, voter confusion, or hinder or destroy confidence in our election process. The goal of disinformation is to cause voters to not exercise their right to vote or to not vote for a particular candidate.

With disinformation, the bounds are endless; especially with artificial intelligence (AI). Always check the origination source of the information. If the source is anonymous, that is a huge flag. However, with AI someone can take a picture and create a clip of that person holding a press conference or in any other setting. Some AI generated clips are impossible for the common person to spot.

The voter list identifying all Coosa County eligible voters, Coosa County polling facilities and where each voter may vote was published in “The Coosa County News.” Last week, a supplemental voter list was published. Each voter must vote at the facility where his/her precinct is assigned. This is based upon the voter’s address.

In recent elections, we have experienced people attempting to cast ballots at facilities where he/she was not assigned. We also experienced non-registered people showing up to vote or to “register and vote” on Election Day.

I believe some of this was intended to cause confusion, slow down the process and to see what our polling officials would do. We have a good cadre of polling officials who managed the situations professionally and informed the sheriff immediately.

If a registered Coosa County voter goes to the wrong facility, our polling officials can tell the voter which facility he/she may cast a ballot. If the voter insists on casting a ballot at a facility other than his/her designated facility, the polling officials will allow the voter to cast a Provisional Ballot. That Provisional Ballot will only be counted if the Board of Registrars determines it to be a legal ballot for that polling facility. The only exception to vote anywhere other than the voter’s designated facility is to vote Absentee.

In Alabama, curbside voting is illegal. Ballots may not be taken outside the polling facility except for transport to the facility or to the courthouse after the polls close.

To vote, the voter must be in line at the polling facility at 7:00 p.m. Photo identification (ID) is required (with extremely rare exception). Every polling facility has handicap voting assistance machines. Voters may request, with rare limitation, anyone the voter chooses to assist him/her with marking his/her ballot. After the voter marks his/her ballot, the voter must place it in the tabulating machine to be counted. If the voter has difficulty placing his/her ballot into the machine, the voter may request polling officials to assist the voter.

I must make a special point regarding polling facilities. The only Coosa County Polling Facility that has changed since the 2024 elections is the Mount Olive facility. It moved from the Community Center to the new Goodwater Fire Station 3 in Mt. Olive! Parking is much better, and we thank Chief Unbehant and the fire department for allowing us to use their facilities to conduct the election.

Now to the voter. Voters have a responsibility to be informed and take appropriate action before casting a ballot.. If a voter is looking for a specific name on the ballot and his/her ballot does not contain that name, bring it to the attention of the polling officials before casting the ballot. Once a ballot is cast, there is no “undoing” it.

I must remind everyone the polling facility is not a place for visiting. The polling facility is for conducting election business. If a voter has a problem or issue on Election Day, he/she should contact my office or the Board of Registrars immediately.

My goal is for Coosa County to have an honest and fair election process for every qualified elector and candidate. Coosa County’s Democratic Party, Republican Party, News Media, and I constantly share information to inform our voters. However, as citizens we all must educate ourselves and work together to ensure the most honest and best election process, period.

Finally, some voters have asked about the “Pledge” statements and why they are not on all ballots. The respective parties determine what is on their ballots. The Democratic Party has the statement, “By casting this ballot, I do pledge myself to abide by the result of this Primary Election and to aid and support all the Nominees thereof in the ensuing General Election.” Currently, the Republicans do not.

Finally, if you are a victim of or witness any type voter fraud, report it to the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at 334-242-7210 or by visiting stopvoterfraudnow.com. If you witness something on Election Day that appears strange, notify the judge of probate or sheriff immediately so we can investigate.

Any voter having questions should call our office (256-377-4919, option 1 or 2) or send an email (CoosaCountyProbate@Outlook.com). Voters may also ask the respective political party chairpersons. In Coosa County, the Democratic Party Chairperson is Neisha Whetstone; the Republican Party Chairperson is Lamar Daugherty. We all work to educate Coosa County voters and make sure all eligible votes are counted. I hope to see you at the polls on May 19!