A voter’s guide to the Alabama Senate District 5 special election

Voters in parts of northwest Alabama go to the polls Tuesday to choose a state Senator in a special election.

Rep. Matt Woods, R-Jasper, will face progressive faith leader Ryan Cagle in a special election Tuesday for Senate District 5, which covers Lamar, Fayette, Walker, the northern half of Tuscaloosa County, and the western part of Jefferson County.

The candidates offer differing visions for the district. Woods said he wants to continue and build on the district’s conservative leadership, while Cagle believes funding should be reprioritized to address longstanding issues in the community, like opioid misuse.

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 Non-Driver 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

Where is the district located?

The north central Senate district includes Lamar, Fayette, Walker, the northern half of Tuscaloosa County and the western part of Jefferson County.

How did the seat become vacant?

Former Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed, R-Jasper, who had held the seat since 2010, stepped down at the beginning of the year to join Gov. Kay Ivey’s administration as Senior Advisor to Workforce Transformation. Reed’s role is transitioning the Department of Labor into the new Department of Workforce, with an aim at boosting Alabama’s labor force participation. Reed, who had led the Senate since 2021, was strongly allied with business interests and helped expand tax incentives and workforce training programs during his time in the Senate.

Does the seat have a partisan lean?

The seat is strongly Republican. Reed first won the seat in 2010 as a first-time candidate with 73.3% of the votes. Reed subsequently ran unopposed in the Republican primaries and was not challenged by a Democratic candidate in 2014, 2018 and 2022, according to Ballotpedia.

What issues dominate the race?

Woods is campaigning on his legislative record and a platform of conservative leadership. He pointed to the “Alabama Child Protection Act,” a bill he sponsored that criminalized the creation, sharing or possession of child sexual abuse material, and his work on the “Parents’ Right to Know Act,” requiring schools to post classroom curricula online. Woods also pointed to his votes in favor of grocery tax cuts and the elimination of sales tax on feminine and baby products, saying that he is committed to cutting taxes. If elected, he intends to re-introduce legislation to increase penalties for violent threats to schools and to remove state sales tax on federally funded broadband equipment so that more grant money goes to infrastructure development.

Cagle is a first-time candidate advocating for the proper representation of working-class and vulnerable populations. He said he was concerned that current elected officials are not sufficiently engaged with on-the-ground issues like poverty and the opioid crisis. He criticized the influence of lobbyists and large corporations on state leadership and called for a reprioritization of state policies to better support communities. He also criticized the “CHOOSE Act” for expanding funding for private schools and homeschooling at the expense of public education.

What happens after today?

The candidate with the most votes will be elected to represent the district.

Will the results alter control of the Legislature?

No. Republicans currently hold 73 of the 105 seats in the lower chamber and 26 of the 35 seats in the upper chamber.