FOLEY – With the 2024 elections pending, area residents and officials are working to make certain that as many eligible citizens as possible are registered to vote.

The Foley City Council recognized Sept. 17 as National Voter Registration Day. Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday in the United States intended to create a broad awareness of voter registration opportunities and celebrate democracy.

On that Tuesday, members of the League of Women Voters will hold a registration drive at the Foley Public Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The LWV will also conduct a registration drive at the Snook YMCA on Oct. 2. That drive will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The morning session is intended to be more convenient to seniors. The afternoon registration is intended to encourage young people to sign up.

Anyone who will be 18 before the Nov. 5 election can register to vote during the sign up sessions.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said voting is a vital part of the democratic process and the city wants to encourage eligible residents to register and to cast ballots. “It is a cornerstone,” he said.

Freya Sonenstein, president of the Baldwin League of Women Voters, said the event is open to everyone who is eligible to vote.

“We are a nonpartisan organization, encouraging people to register to vote and getting out and voting,” she said.

The national elections will be Nov. 5. Elections for city offices in Alabama, including mayor and City Council seats in Foley, will be Aug. 26, 2025.

Hellmich said election officials are also seeking volunteers to work the polls during upcoming elections.

“That is a very important function that gives back to the community to be poll workers,” Hellmich said. “That’s a hard job. People don’t realize it takes all day.”

Poll workers must be registered voters in the county in which they will work and cannot be related to any candidate on the ballot. They must also attend mandatory poll worker training. Applications to be a poll worker can be found on the website for the Baldwin County Probate Office.

Three training sessions for poll workers are scheduled on Sept. 30.