MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama election officials are scheduled to begin mailing absentee ballots Wednesday as the Trump administration asks the U.S. Supreme Court to allow new federal restrictions on mail ballots to take effect before the November midterm elections.
The timing places Alabama among the first states to send ballots to voters while the administration’s effort to impose additional requirements on absentee and mail voting remains tied up in federal court.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen’s office has said the state does not offer no-excuse mail-in voting or an early voting period. Under Alabama law, voters must qualify for absentee voting, submit an application that states a valid reason and provide a photo ID. The first absentee ballots are scheduled to be mailed Sept. 9, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
The change means eligible residents who are away from home, attending college, serving in the military, working outside their voting jurisdiction or meeting another statutory qualification can begin receiving ballots for the Nov. 3 general election.
Completed absentee ballots must be returned to the appropriate absentee election manager by noon on Election Day. Applications sent by mail must be received at least seven days before the election, while the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot by mail is Oct. 27, according to election information published by Alabama officials and county governments.
The federal dispute began after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March directing federal agencies to develop citizenship lists and directing the U.S. Postal Service to establish new standards for transmitting federal mail and absentee ballots.
The order calls for ballot envelopes to carry unique mail barcodes and says the Postal Service should deliver ballots only to voters included on state-specific participation lists submitted to the agency.
The administration has described the changes as election-integrity measures intended to prevent fraud and verify voter eligibility. But voting-rights groups and election officials have argued that the plan would improperly give the Postal Service a role in determining which voters receive ballots and could create confusion or disenfranchise eligible voters if the system is implemented close to an election.
A federal judge has blocked the Postal Service from enforcing key portions of the order, and the Trump administration has appealed. The Supreme Court has allowed parts of the plan to proceed during the litigation but has not issued a final ruling on whether the order is lawful. The Postal Service’s role in determining voter eligibility remains a central issue in the case.
The administration’s latest appeal argues that the new requirements should be allowed to take effect as states begin mailing ballots. Solicitor General John Sauer told the Supreme Court that Alabama was scheduled to begin mailing ballots Sept. 9, along with several other states later this month.
Critics say the effort is part of a broader attempt by Trump to restrict mail voting after he repeatedly made unsupported claims that mail ballots contributed to his 2020 election loss. Those claims have been rejected by courts, election officials and reviews that found no evidence of widespread fraud sufficient to alter the outcome.
The restrictions also have drawn criticism because they could affect voters who depend on absentee ballots, including Alabama residents who are hospitalized, caring for family members, attending school away from home or serving in the military.
Shalela Dowdy, a senior field organizer with the Alabama NAACP, said the organization opposes requiring states to provide the Postal Service with lists of mail-ballot recipients.
“Why would we try to make it harder for people to vote when being able to vote by mail provides everyone to have access to the ballot?” Dowdy told WSFA.
Allen, a Republican, said Alabama would continue using its existing absentee-voting system.
“I want to be clear that Alabama does not have mail-in voting outside of absentee voting, which requires a valid excuse and a photo ID,” Allen said in a statement provided to WSFA. “There is no early voting period where voters are allowed to mail in their ballots without submitting a valid absentee ballot application stating the reason they need to vote absentee. We vote on Election Day.”
Allen also criticized no-excuse mail voting in other states and said he would work to maintain Alabama’s election rules.
The competing arguments reflect the larger political divide over mail voting. Trump and his allies say tighter rules are necessary to prevent fraud, while opponents say the administration is using unproven fraud claims to justify last-minute changes that could make it harder for eligible voters to cast ballots.
Federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and Alabama requires absentee voters to meet specific eligibility requirements. The state’s absentee system is administered by local election officials, not by the Postal Service.
The legal uncertainty is unlikely to change Alabama’s initial mailing schedule. Voters who have applied for an absentee ballot should monitor their mail, follow the instructions included with the ballot and contact their county absentee election manager if the ballot does not arrive or if they have questions about returning it.
The 2026 general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3.