All voters have the right to vote free of intimidation, including from law enforcement, military, and federal agents.
It is illegal for anyone to try to or actually intimidate, threaten, or coerce someone who is voting or trying to vote, or someone who is helping a person to vote. By law, members of the military, state and local law enforcement, and federal agents, including ICE, may not intimidate or prevent a qualified voter from voting through force, threat, or other action. It doesn’t matter if the intimidation was deliberate, as long as the voter, or the voter’s helper, felt intimidated.
Beyond the federal laws against intimidation, it is also illegal for any person in the U.S. civil, military, or naval service to order troops or armed federal agents to any place where an election is held. By law, officers of the U.S. military may not interfere with the freedom of any election or the exercise of the right to vote in any state.
All voters have the right not to be discriminated against based on race, national origin, or disability.
All voters who need assistance because of a disability or inability to read and write in the language of the ballot may choose someone to help them to vote, as long as the person is not an agent/representative of the voter’s employer or union.
If you have questions or need assistance on-site, the best person to speak to is a local election worker. Poll workers are members of your community, and work for the municipal or county government rather than the federal government.
If you observe violations of these rules, call 866-OUR-VOTE, the Election Protection Hotline! You can even report anonymously. If you are voting in person, and you feel comfortable doing so, you can quietly report your concerns to an on-site poll worker. Do not approach, speak to, or engage a law enforcement officer.
Only an election inspector may challenge your right to vote at the precinct based on knowledge that you are not entitled to vote in the precinct. Poll watchers may only observe the election and point out issues to officials.
Inactive status: If you are told that you are listed as “inactive,” you may still vote so long as you complete a Voter Reidentification “Update” Form and still live in the same county. Voters are deemed “inactive” when their address has not been confirmed by the Board of Registrars. If the new address you provide on the Voter Reidentification “Update” Form does not change your polling place, you will be able to vote a regular ballot after you complete the Form. If the new address changes your polling place, you will be instructed to go to that polling place where you will vote a provisional ballot. If the new address is outside the county, you will not be able to vote.
The elections officer will ask for your name and your ID. During a primary, the elections officer will also ask for your political party preference.
Attempt to inform the election inspector or another poll worker of the issue. If this does not resolve the issue, call Election Protection. A poll watcher may not disturb voters, attempt to influence voters, campaign, or display or wear any campaign material or buttons while inside any polling place.
No one may take general photos in the polling place, including photos of the room where voting takes place. This may be considered voter intimidation. Voters may take photos of their own ballot, but use of mobile phones or cameras should not disturb any other voters or disrupt the polling place in any way. Attempt to inform the election inspector or another poll worker of the issue. Call Election Protection if that does not resolve the issue.
The election inspector controls who is inside the polling place.
People must stay outside the 30-foot limit outside the polling place if they are not a voter admitted to vote, a person assisting the voter, the Probate Judge, the Sheriff or the Deputy Sheriff, a precinct election official, or a poll watcher. Once someone has voted, they may no longer stand in line.
Speak to the election inspector. They have the authority to remove disruptive people from the voting location and to decide whether to contact law enforcement. If that does not resolve the issue, call Election Protection.
Any voter who requests voting assistance is entitled to assistance. If a voter requires assistance to vote, the voter may bring a person of their choice to help them vote. The person providing assistance may not be the voter’s union representative or employer. A voter may ask a member of the election board to assist them with voting. The voter does not need to state a reason for requesting assistance.
Voters over the age of 70 or voters with physical disabilities may request that they be moved to the front of the line at a polling place.
Fair Elections Center and its Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Alabama legal professional. Updated August 2026.