This is an example of what your ballot will look like in Baldwin County for the primary election on May 19.

Unlike municipal elections where the city is broken into districts and how we vote for state and federal legislators, everyone in the county votes for each county commissioner, no matter which district they live in.

The distinction is established through Alabama state law and local acts passed by the state legislature. According to Jessica Waters, community relations and public information manager for the Baldwin County Commission, in Alabama, county commission elections are set by state law. In Baldwin County, that means commissioners represent districts, but all voters across the county vote for each seat.

Baldwin County Commissioners serve for a four-year term, through which all are elected at the same time (non-staggered terms).

Q: Can I carry a sample ballot into the voting booth?

Yes. However, you should not leave the sample ballot in the polling place.

Q: If constitutional amendments are included on the ballot, must I vote on them?

No. You are not required to vote on constitutional amendments. Similarly, you are not required to vote in all races on the ballot. Participation is your choice.

Q: In a primary election, am I allowed to vote for the constitutional amendments only?

Yes. In fact, if you choose not to participate in nominating candidates for either political party, you can request a constitutional amendment ballot that contains only the proposed constitutional amendments.

Q: When I voted in the primary election, I was asked to declare a political party preference. Why is that?

In Alabama, the primary election is part of the nominating process for a political party. It is used to select who will represent a party in the general election. You are required to choose one political party’s primary over another because you cannot participate in the nomination of both parties’ candidates. However, in the general election, you may split your ticket and vote for candidates from each political party.

Q: What happens if I do not want to declare a political party preference at the primary election?

If you choose not to declare a political preference at the primary election, you will not be eligible to vote in any political party’s primary election. You are, however, still eligible to vote on any proposed constitutional amendments that are up for a vote.

Q: I voted in my political party's primary election. My party is not having a runoff. Can I vote in the other party's runoff?

No. In 2017, the Alabama Legislature passed Act 2017-340, which prohibits a person from voting in one political party's primary election and voting in a different political party's primary runoff election. Therefore, if you vote in a primary election and want to vote in a primary runoff election, you must vote in the primary runoff election of the same political party that you chose in the primary election. However, if you did not vote in a political party's primary election and would like to vote in the primary runoff election, you may choose which political party's primary runoff election  you would like to vote in.