Via The Hill:
Alabama has broken its record for casting absentee ballots during an election, and three weeks remain before Election Day.
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) said that as of Tuesday, 91,786 absentee ballots had been cast ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The previous record was 89,000 ballots cast over the course of the 2012 election cycle.
Merrill told the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce that he expects to have more than 200,000 ballots requested by election day, according to 280 Living, likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Merrill said in July that any person who deems it unreasonable to vote in person because of the pandemic can check the box on their absentee ballot application that says “I have a physical illness or infirmity which prevents my attendance at the polls.”
Overall, he thinks 2.5 million to 2.8 million people will cast ballots this election, which would represent 68 percent to 75 percent of registered voters in the state.