Alabama House Districts 16, 55 hold special elections Tuesday: what you need to know

Voters in the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa areas go to the polls Tuesday to choose nominees for special elections for the state House. 

In House District 16, running from Fayette County through north Tuscaloosa and western Jefferson counties, five Republicans and one Democrat are seeking their party’s nomination. In House District 55, in portions of Birmingham and Fairfield, seven Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination; no Republican qualified for the race. 

When do polls open?

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. 

Where do I find my polling place?

The Alabama Secretary of State’s website allows you to check voter registration and the location of your polling place. You can find it here. 

What do I need to vote?

Voters must present a valid photo ID before voting. Valid forms of ID include:

• Alabama driver’s license (not expired or expired less than 60 days)
• Alabama Law Enforcement Agency digital driver’s license
• Alabama Nondriver ID (not expired or expired less than 60 days) 
• Alabama Photo Voter ID card
• State-issued ID (Alabama or any other state)
• Federal-issued ID
• U.S. Passport
• Employee ID from the federal government; state of Alabama; county; municipality, board or other entity of Alabama
• Student or employee ID from a public or private post-secondary educational institution in Alabama or other states (including colleges, universities, postgraduate technical and professional schools)
• Digital student or employee ID from a public or private post-secondary educational institution in Alabama or other states (including colleges, universities, postgraduate technical and professional schools)
• Military ID
• Tribal ID

Meet the candidates running in the House District 16 special election

Where are the districts located?

House District 16 takes in Fayette County in north central Alabama; much of Tuscaloosa County north of I-20 and portions of western Jefferson County. 

Meet the candidates running in the House District 55 special election

House District 55 takes in portions of south Birmingham and extends west out to Fairfield.

How did the seats become vacant?

In House District 16, former Rep. Kyle South, R-Fayette resigned in June to become the CEO of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce. 

In House District 55, former Rep. Fred Plump, D-Fairfield, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice over allegations of misuse of public funds, and resigned the seat in May. 

Do the seats have partisan leans?

House District 16 is strongly Republican. House District 55 is strongly Democratic. 

What issues dominate the races?

Candidates in both contests said they want to bring jobs and additional economic development into their communities. In House District 16, several candidates cited their desire to bring those businesses to reverse ongoing population loss in the district. In House District 55, many of the candidates said they wanted to work on public safety issues. 

What happens after today?

If no candidate in one or both of the competitive primaries gets 50% of the vote, a runoff for the party nomination will take place on Oct. 24 between the top two vote-getters in each race. 

The general election for both seats will take place on Jan. 9.