By Brian Lyman | Editor

The campaigning is over. The ballots are being cast. Check out our voter guide for all the races and stay with us throughout the day (and well into the evening) as we await voters’ verdicts.

A sign saying "Vote" is seen at Messiah Lutheran Church in Montgomery, Alabama on May 19, 2026. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)

ELECTIONS 2026

By Anna Barrett

Alabama voters will cast ballots in over 160 federal, state and local races on Tuesday. The high-profile races include the contest for Alabama governor between Democratic nominee Doug Jones and Republican nominee Tommy Tuberville, and the battle for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, where the race between Democratic incumbent Shomari Figures and Republican challenger Rhett Marques has drawn national attention and millions of dollars.

U.S. Reps. Shomari Figures, D-Montgomery and Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones raising their hands on stage at one last rally before the 2026 midterm elections at the Oliver-Dunn Acadome at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama, on Nov. 2, 2026. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)

ELECTIONS 2026

By Anna Barrett

Speaking at a rally at Alabama State University in Montgomery Monday evening, Democratic state officials urged young people to vote on Tuesday at what served as the concluding rally for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones and U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Montgomery. Turnout in Montgomery County, a strong Democratic area, will be critical for the party’s hopes on Election Day.

Books in the young adult section of the Ozark - Dale County Library Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023 in Ozark, Ala. (Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector

EDUCATION

By Ralph Chapoco

Three authors and a nonprofit filed a federal lawsuit against the state board overseeing Alabama libraries last week, alleging that restrictions on content approved by the Alabama Public Library Service constitute content-based discrimination. APLS last year voted to restrict content with transgender themes or “gender ideology,” a term it did not define. One author said a library would not stock their book out of fear of violating the regulation.

ICYMI

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