Alabama Voting Records: Difference between revisions

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Yearly voting registers list the persons who were eligible to vote. Male citizens over the age of 21 were eligible to vote. Women will be listed only after 1920. County registers may be available from about 1900. For immigrants, the records sometimes mention the date and court of [[Alabama Naturalization and Citizenship|naturalization]]. They are arranged by precinct and are not alphabetical. They give the person’s name, age, precinct, post office, and date of birth and include the years the poll tax was paid. Sometimes the record may indicate "deceased," "moved," "gone," or "out of county." The Family History Library has microfilms of many of these county records, sometimes to the 1940s. For example:
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| link5=[[Alabama Voting Records|Voting Records]]}}
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==Online Resources==
*'''1834-1981''' {{RecordSearch|4016429|Alabama Voter Registration and Poll Tax Cards, 1834-1981}} at FamilySearch; index and images — [[Alabama Voter Registration and Poll Tax Cards - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
*'''1857-1868''' [https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-20277/alabama-voter-registration-books-1857-1868?s=275764761 Alabama, Voter Registration Books, 1857-1868] at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
*'''1867''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60968/ Alabama, Voter Registration, 1867] at Ancestry.com; index and images


Alabama. Probate Court (De Kalb County). ''Alphabetical List of Registered Voters, 1902–1930.'' Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990. (Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=filmhitlist&columns=*%2C0%2C0&filmno=1672913 film 1672913].) These records are arranged by year, location, and then surname. They include the name of the voter, and usually the age, precinct or ward, and post office. Beginning in 1908, the records usually give the exact date of birth.
==Voting Rights History==
 
*'''By 1856''': Universal white male suffrage<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Timeline of voting rights in the United States," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_voting_rights_in_the_United_States, accessed 2 February 2020.</ref>
To locate voter registers, search for the specific county using the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=localitysearch&columns=*,0,0 Place Search] of the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp Family History Library Catalog]. <br>
*'''1870''': The 15th Amendment is passed and prohibits restricting suffrage based on race<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Black suffrage," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_suffrage#United_States, accessed 2 February 2020.</ref>
 
*'''Early 1890s''': Jim Crow Laws passed to revoke African-Americans right to vote<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Black suffrage," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_suffrage#United_States, accessed 2 February 2020.</ref>
The [http://www.archives.alabama.gov/ Alabama Department of Archives &amp; History] created an [http://www.archives.alabama.gov/voterreg/index.cfm 1867 Voter Registration Database] on-line.&nbsp;Currently all entries for Wilcox, Winston, Walker, Tuscaloosa, Tallapoosa, Talladega, Sumter, St. Clair, Shelby, Russell, Pike, Pickens, Perry, Morgan, Montgomery, Mobile, Marshall, Marengo, Madison, Macon, Lawrence, Lee, Jackson, Jefferson, Jones (now Lamar), Henry, Greene, Fayette, Franklin, Elmore, Etowah, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Crenshaw, Conecuh, Covington, Coosa, Colbert, Cleburne and Blaine Counties are available.
*'''1920''': Women are given the right to vote<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Women's suffrage in the United States," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States, accessed 2 February 2020.</ref>
 
*'''1965''': The Voting Rights Act passes; African-Americans are given back the right to vote<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Voting Rights Act of 1965," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965, accessed 2 February 2020.</ref>
The books for the following counties were severely damaged from mold: Dallas; Franklin; Lauderdale; Limestone; Lowndes; Monroe; Randolph; and Washington. Some information may be missing due to the extent of the mold damage.&nbsp;
==What Can be Found in the Records==
 
For more information about how Voting Records can help your genealogical research see [[United States Voting Records|United States Voting Records]].<br>
The volumes are significant genealogical records as this is one of the first statewide government documents that record African-American males living in Alabama. Because no index existed for individual volumes or for the records as a whole, and because of the deteriorating condition of the records, in 2004 ADAH staff began scanning the documents and keying the data from each entry into a computer database. When a successful search retrieves a name from the database, an image of the page where the entry resides will also be available for your use.<br>
'''Voting records often contain''':
 
*Name
<br>
*Birth place
<div id="refHTML"></div>
*Residence
<br>
*Years living in city, county, state
 
*Whether naturalized, date, court <br>
[[Category:Alabama|Voting]]
==How to Find Voting Records==
 
Most voter records were kept on the county level (for New England states this should be town level). To see what FamilySearch has for your county (town) of research follow these steps:
{{Alabama|Alabama}}
*Go to the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog FamilySearch Catalog] and in the place field type in Alabama
*Go to United States, Alabama
*Once there, click on "Places within United States, Alabama"
*Select the county that contains your town of interest
*If FamilySearch has voter records for your county, they will be under "Voting Registers"
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Alabama, United States]] [[Category:Voting Records]]

Latest revision as of 15:19, 24 October 2023

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Online Resources[edit | edit source]

Voting Rights History[edit | edit source]

  • By 1856: Universal white male suffrage[1]
  • 1870: The 15th Amendment is passed and prohibits restricting suffrage based on race[2]
  • Early 1890s: Jim Crow Laws passed to revoke African-Americans right to vote[3]
  • 1920: Women are given the right to vote[4]
  • 1965: The Voting Rights Act passes; African-Americans are given back the right to vote[5]

What Can be Found in the Records[edit | edit source]

For more information about how Voting Records can help your genealogical research see United States Voting Records.
Voting records often contain:

  • Name
  • Birth place
  • Residence
  • Years living in city, county, state
  • Whether naturalized, date, court

How to Find Voting Records[edit | edit source]

Most voter records were kept on the county level (for New England states this should be town level). To see what FamilySearch has for your county (town) of research follow these steps:

  • Go to the FamilySearch Catalog and in the place field type in Alabama
  • Go to United States, Alabama
  • Once there, click on "Places within United States, Alabama"
  • Select the county that contains your town of interest
  • If FamilySearch has voter records for your county, they will be under "Voting Registers"

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Timeline of voting rights in the United States," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_voting_rights_in_the_United_States, accessed 2 February 2020.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Black suffrage," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_suffrage#United_States, accessed 2 February 2020.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Black suffrage," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_suffrage#United_States, accessed 2 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Women's suffrage in the United States," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States, accessed 2 February 2020.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Voting Rights Act of 1965," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965, accessed 2 February 2020.

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