FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, February 14, 2022—MONTGOMERY, AL— We are thrilled to announce that Donald J. Trump, the 45^th President of the United States, has agreed to participate in our annual photo voter ID and voter registration initiative. This commercial was produced during Secretary Merrill’s visit to Mar-a-Lago in November 2021 and will be released in March 2022.

Every year, the Secretary of State’s Office conducts a statewide multimedia campaign to ensure all registered voters have a photo ID, promote voter registration, and encourage voter participation.

For the last seven years, several other well-known individuals have participated in the Secretary of State’s photo voter ID promotional efforts, which include:

• 2015: Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban and former Auburn Head Football Coach Gus Malzahn
• 2016: NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and former Heavyweight Boxing Champion Deontay Wilder
• 2017: Former NASA astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison and Miss Alabama 2017 Jessica Proctor
• 2018: American Idol “Season 5” Winner Taylor Hicks and radio personalities Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey
• 2019: Country Music Artist Jamey Johnson and Alabama’s first Governor William Wyatt Bibb (actor portrayal)
• 2020: The Women of the Alabama Legislature and Alabama Veterans Naval Commander Lee Allen Hallman, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, and Medal of Honor recipient Gary Michael Rose
• 2021: Legendary singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett and country music sensation Riley Green

The campaign consists of statewide television and radio ads, as well as digital advertisements. Additionally, we promote this message on jumbotrons at stadiums across the state during the college football season. Posters will also be distributed to courthouses, schools, universities, civic clubs, political rallies, and events throughout all 67 counties. You can preview the commercial here.

To receive a free Alabama photo voter ID card, applicants must complete the application and meet the following requirements: they must provide a photo ID document or a non-photo identity document containing their full legal name and date of birth, they must be a registered voter in Alabama, and they cannot have any valid form of photo ID that is accepted at the polls.

To register to vote in Alabama, you must be a U.S. citizen and an Alabama resident, who is 18 years or older on or by Election Day, and the prospective voter cannot be convicted of a disqualifying felony nor declared mentally incompetent. Alabama’s next Statewide Primary Election date is May 24, 2022, and the deadline to register before the 2022 Primary Election is May 9, 2022.

For more information about our photo voter ID efforts, reach out to the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at (334) 242-7210.

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