Special to the
Opelika Observer
Following numerous constituency concerns related to the use of STAR IDs, Secretary of State John H. Merrill issued the following clarification on voting in Alabama:
Recently, the Office of the Secretary of State has received numerous calls from misinformed citizens about the correct forms of photo identification accepted at the polls on Election Day.
Acceptable forms of photo ID required to vote include:
• Valid Alabama Driver’s License (not expired or has been expired less than 60 days)
• Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Driver’s License
• Valid Alabama Nondriver ID (not expired or has been expired less than 60 days)
• Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Nondriver ID
• Valid Alabama Photo Voter ID Card
• Valid State-Issued (Alabama or any other state) ID (Valid AL Department of Corrections Release – Temporary ID [Photo Required], Valid AL Movement/Booking Sheet from Prison/Jail System [Photo Required], or Valid Pistol Permit [Photo Required])
• Valid Federal-Issued ID
• Valid US passport
• Valid Employee ID from Federal Government, State of Alabama, County, Municipality, Board, or other entity of this state
• Valid student or employee ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools)
• Valid student or employee ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state
• Valid Military ID
• Valid Tribal ID
If a voter does not possess one of these, he or she may receive a free Alabama photo voter ID from their local board of registrars or from visiting one of our mobile photo ID units.
To be clear, a STAR ID is not necessary to vote in Alabama. Information related to STAR ID’s can be found on the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s website or by calling their office at 334-242-4400.
Questions or concerns related to voting in Alabama can be answered by visiting the Secretary of State’s website or by calling their office at 334-242-7210.