Only 1 in 10 Alabama voters showed up for the primary runoff as years‑long decline continues
Alabama’s primary runoff turnout continued a long decline as most counties saw fewer voters participate compared to the 2022 runoffs.
Ryan Cooper 
Alabama's primary runoff elections saw a statewide turnout of just 10.7%, continuing a persistent downward trajectory for voter engagement in secondary contests. According to official results, only 465,320 of the state’s 3.6 million registered voters participated in a Tuesday ballot that featured high-stakes races for U.S. Senate, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and the Public Service Commission.
A Continuing Trend
This cycle’s turnout failed to match the 12.8% participation rate seen during the June 21, 2022, primary runoff. That previous cycle was notably fueled by the intense Republican U.S. Senate contest between Senator Katie Britt and former U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, as documented by the Secretary of State.
In the current Senate races, Republicans saw a roughly 23% drop in ballots cast compared to five years ago, with the showdown between U.S. Rep. Barry Moore and Jared Hudson totaling 310,758 votes. While Democrats showed strong energy during the May 19 primary—which boasted a 23.11% turnout—the Senate runoff between Everett Wess and Dakarai Larriett drew just 92,008 votes. Overall, Republicans maintained a 3-to-1 advantage in total ballots cast.
County-Level Participation
Most large counties saw engagement fall significantly. Baldwin County, which hosted a high-profile legislative race, saw turnout drop to 10.3%. Meanwhile, Mobile (7.34%), Montgomery (8.41%), Lee (6.62%), and Tuscaloosa (8.89%) all recorded participation rates below the 10% mark.
While a late-day campaign push in South Alabama warned that North Alabama was outpacing the region, data suggests the divide was not as lopsided as feared. Though Morgan and Marshall counties exceeded 14% turnout due to local races like the GOP contest for school superintendent, major centers like Jefferson County (10.53%) and Madison County (11.24%) stayed relatively flat. A few areas bucked the downward trend; Washington County saw 23.86% turnout, and Walker County reached 19.99%, both driven by local sheriff’s races.
For perspective on how far engagement has slipped, the last time Alabama saw a primary runoff turnout exceed 20% was in 2010, during the GOP gubernatorial race between Bradley Byrne and Robert Bentley.
