Alabama sponsors free mobile photo identification voter drives

By Andrea Williams | 

Posted: Thu 1:45 PM, Jul 07, 2016  | 

Updated: Thu 3:03 PM, Jul 07, 2016

CHOCTAW COUNTY, Ala. (WTOK) - Efforts continue to ensure that all registered voters in Alabama will be prepared when they go to the polls. Newscenter 11 caught up with a representative from the Alabama Secretary of State's office as he and members of the Choctaw County Board of Registrars prepared for a Free Mobile Voter ID Drive in Butler Thursday.

Two years ago a state law took effect in Alabama that requires all voters to show a photo ID when voting.

"A photo ID is any state issued identification that has a picture on it," says Trevin Fluker, who is an intern with the Elections Division of the Alabama Secretary of State's office. "So, it could be a work related i-d or it could be issued from a school or a tribal ID."

When it comes to needing a photo ID to vote, local officials say there's at least one exception to the rule.

"If a person is elderly and they're bedridden, there are exemptions from getting the photo ID," says Kathy Adams, who is the chairwoman for the Choctaw County Board of Registrars. "So, they can vote absentee, and they can use other forms of identification to send in with their application, and information that way. Also, if a person has lost their birth certificate, there's a way that we can go in and request a copy of their birth certificate for our office only if they're born in the state of Alabama."

The free mobile voter ID drives are being held throughout Alabama. For people who are not able to attend one, you can always go by the Board of Registrars' Office in the county where you live and get one there.

Call 1-800-274-VOTE for more information on how to receive a free voter ID in Alabama, or click the attached link. It also has the mobile photo ID drive site schedule.

Source: Alabama sponsors free mobile photo identification voter drives