2020 BirminghamWatch Voter Guide

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Voting is in full swing even though the polls won’t open until Tuesday morning.

Between interest in the races on the ballot and fear of coronavirus, more than 316,000 people applied to vote by absentee ballots and 259,201 absentee ballots had been successfully returned as of Thursday, according to Grace Newcombe, press secretary for the Secretary of State’s Office.

That crushed the previous record for absentee votes, which was 88,000 cast in the 2012 general election.

At the top of the ticket is the Donald Trump-Joe Biden showdown for the White House. That race has drawn the most interest nationwide. But there’s another race that has drawn much attention in Alabama, as former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, a Republican, tries to unseat Doug Jones, who three years ago was the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama in 25 years.

Also up for grabs are races for the Alabama Public Service Commission presidency and a seat on the state Board of Education. In Jefferson County, contested races also include a district court judgeship, deputy treasurer, tax assessor, assistant tax assessor and assistant tax collector.

Voters also have six amendments to decide – seven in Shelby County.

The 2020 BirminghamWatch Voter Guide gives you information to navigate through the voting process. You’ll find profiles of the candidates, including biographical information, the main issues they’re citing in their campaigns, their top contributors and links to their web or social media sites. Also in the guide is a rundown of the amendments with an analysis of each by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, sample ballots you can print, mark as you want and take to the polling place as a reminder, if you want; and information about voting and going to the polls.

Sample Ballots

Additional Links For Voters

Printable Sample Ballots for Jefferson and Shelby Counties

List of Candidates with Profiles

Your Guide to Alabama’s 2020 Constitutional Amendments

Check your registration status, find your polling place and check the status of your absentee ballot

Jones Runs Aggressive Campaign to Maintain Senate Seat for the Democrats

With a Commanding Lead in Polls, Tuberville Shuns Media and Jones While Embracing Trump

Poll Watchers Have Strict Rules to Follow, and So Do Others at the Polls

 

Appeals court allows end of protected status for migrants from 3 countries

A federal appeals court on Wednesday sided with the Trump administration and halted for now a lower court's order that had kept in place temporary protections for 60,000 migrants from Central America and Nepal.

Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina

Bolsonaro is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling about an alleged coup attempt and learned Wednesday he might face another case as police formally accused him and one of his son of obstruction of justice

Massacres in eastern Congo cast doubt on U.S. mediated peace deal

Rwanda backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed hundreds of villagers in July, according to Human Rights Watch, raising doubts about Trump backed peace process.

One civilian injured in crash with D.C. National Guard military vehicle

The military vehicle, which is designed to withstand explosive attacks, collided with a "civilian vehicle" just after 6 a.m. on Wednesday in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Trump vows to expand his review of U.S. museums. Can he do that? 

The White House said that after the administration eliminates "woke" culture from the Smithsonian, it would expand to other museums around the country. Would that be possible?

Dependent on foreign sales, U.S. wheat farmers hoping longtime partners stick with them

As President Trump's tariffs kick in, American companies that rely on imports are worried about rising costs and passing them onto consumers. But some U.S. exporters are worried too.

More BirminghamWatch Coverage