Alabama voters go to polls with affordability and national issues on their minds

Alabamians cast ballots throughout the morning in what could be one of the more critical midterms in recent memory. 

In more than 30 separate interviews in Jefferson, Montgomery, Autauga, DeKalb and Lee counties, voters choosing most frequently cited the economy as their number one concern, but national issues were also on many people’s minds.

“I think making things like bare necessities accessible—diapers, formula, obviously the cost of groceries—when it comes to talking to outside of the world of babies,” said Sara Tameze-Rivas of Homewood, who voted for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones. “But I mean, so many people are having to make decisions like ‘what am I foregoing this week? You know, what do I have to do to get by with things?'”

Jack Stanley, a retired U.S. Air Force instructor who voted for Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville, said his chief concerns were “things like Social Security, solvency and health insurance, pharmacy prices, things like that.” 

Voter Guide: 2026 Alabama general election

The votes came as the U.S. Department of Justice Tuesday morning announced it planned to “monitor or observe” elections in Jefferson, Montgomery and Mobile counties. As of midday, no problems had been immediately reported.

“I heard earlier there were places with long lines, but no significant problems,” said Kim Bailey, president of the League of Women Voters of Alabama, in an interview Tuesday morning. 

Polls will remain open until 7 p.m. tonight. 

The cost of living was a major theme for voters around the state. Anna Parker, a sewing machine operator from Fort Payne who voted for Tuberville, said she hoped the next governor would work to improve healthcare costs and said she struggled to pay for necessities.

“I can’t afford to drive back and forth to work, and I’m only 15 minutes away from where I work,” she said. “It’s sad the way the country is now.”

Emily Broome, a graduate student at Auburn University who voted for Jones, said it was “disappointing” to see politicians promise to address affordability and then fall short.

“That’s definitely something that’s been on my mind, especially as a student who lives off of a grad school stipend,” she said. “It’s really, really hard. I feel like it’s me paying my rent or gas. It should not be the most important part of my week.”

Voters also cited national issues in casting ballots. Immigration was on the minds of some voters, including Krista Parker, a retired educator from Valley Head who voted for Tuberville. 

“I love closed borders,” she said. “You want to become a part of our country? Welcome, but do it the right way. They’re taking away all the help that was there for us, our citizens, our veterans, and they’re putting it toward someone who just crossed the border illegally, and I don’t like that.”

Eva Marroquin, an assembly worker from Fort Payne who voted for Jones, said she did not like the tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “especially toward breaking families apart.”

“I get it toward criminals, but toward innocent people that are here trying to work and get something for their families, I feel like that’s the part where it’s messed up,” she said.

Bart Barrontine, a retired state worker who voted straight-ticket Republican in Prattville, said he wanted “democracy, I don’t want communism.”

“The national election, the Democratic Party was pretty much socialist communism,” he said. “That is what their platform is. They want to take away law enforcement, take away our right to bear arms. It is socialism.”

Michael Melancon, a retiree who lives in Auburn who voted for Jones, said the war in Iran was a factor for him. 

“I was in the army during Vietnam,” he said. “I know what war is. In my opinion, the current Republican Party is totally out of bounds on all issues.”

James Stewart, another Auburn retiree who voted for Jones, said he was also concerned about data centers. 

“I think the state’s environment has been compromised enough, and I think that people don’t they don’t realize that they don’t employ very many people, and they cause a tremendous amount of environmental damage as well as quality of life with the sound and everything else,” he said. “We can do something better than just dump them all in Alabama, in Mississippi.”

But concerns over the cost of living cut across both parties. Shineka Maye, a Montgomery business owner who voted for Jones, said she wanted to see “lower taxes, specifically the grocery tax.”

“It’s ridiculous that other states have lower taxes on groceries and Alabama is still stuck,” she said.

Amber Whitting, a small business owner in Prattville who voted for Jones, said she had pocketbook and national issues in mind.

“Everything is too expensive,” she said. “Nothing is affordable anymore. I would rather have someone go for the issues instead of what the president says. I want someone with a backbone.”

This story was reported by Anna Barrett, Ralph Chapoco, Ben Sessoms, Forrest Terrell and Andrea Tinker. It was written by Editor Brian Lyman.