MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Secretary of State Beth Chapman has joined fellow secretaries of state and chief elections officials across America in recognizing September 2010 as National Voter Registration Month. Chapman is working with Boards of Registrars across Alabama to make sure that the state’s eligible voters are aware of registration deadlines and requirements for the November 2 general election. Currently, there are more than 2.9 million registered voters in the state of Alabama.

“Everyone who is eligible to vote should cast their ballot on Election Day.  Registering to vote is the first step to ensure citizens are heard,” said Chapman.  “In order to preserve and defend our democracy, we must have citizens who are active and engaged in their government.”

By law, voter registration ends ten days prior to an election.  For the general election, the deadline is October 22^nd.

While Alabama had the largest surge in voter registration in recent history during the 2008 Presidential Election, statistics show that there are definitely more eligible voters who have not yet registered.  According to U.S. Census figures, 60 million eligible voters nationwide did not register to vote in 2008.  Of the non-voters that year, fourteen percent said they did not vote because they missed their state’s voter registration deadline. The National Association of Secretaries of State established National Voter Registration Month to encourage voter participation and to increase awareness of state voter registration requirements and deadlines. 

Those who may have questions regarding registration may call the local Board of Registrars office for their county or call 1-800-274-VOTE.  Voters may also find voter registration applications and other election tools at Alabama’s online election center at alabamavotes.gov.

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