Restoring Civil Rights After a Felony in Alabama

Voting rights lost for a disqualifying felony are restored by applying to the Board of Pardons and Paroles for a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote; the certificate must be granted when the requirements are met (sentence completed, pardon, or release from probation or parole; no pending felony charges; court-ordered fines, costs, fees and restitution paid). People convicted of impeachment, murder, rape, sodomy, sexual abuse, incest, sexual torture, certain child sex and obscenity offenses, or treason cannot use the certificate and must seek a pardon with restoration of voting rights. Other civil and political rights are restored through a pardon from the Board of Pardons and Paroles, and a pardon does not remove those disabilities unless it says so; the felon firearm ban is lifted only by a pardon that expressly restores the right to possess a firearm.