For residents in Brewton, East Brewton and Riverview registering to vote should be a top priority this week.

Mike Watson, director of the Escambia County Board of Registrars, said the deadline to register is Friday if a voter plans to cast a ballot in the municipal elections.

“We will notify city clerks if we have someone to come in and register that would be eligible to vote in a municipal election,” Watson said. “Registering to vote in Alabama and the county will also make a person eligible to vote in any municipality.”

Watson said each municipality may also have certain stipulations on residency before voting is allowed by an individual.

“Most municipalities require that a voter be a resident of the city for 30 days prior to the election,” Watson said. “Each municipality has their own guidelines, but most in our area follow that general 30-day residency rule.”

Other elections will be held before the end of the year with a special election in September and the general election in November, Watson said.

“There is a 10-day cutoff on voter registration before any election,” Watson said. “With the September election, the deadline to register would be Sept. 7. In order to vote in the Nov. 6 general election, voters must be registered no later than Oct. 26.”

Watson said for county, state and national elections, there are no residency requirements before voting in elections.

“You could move into the county on one day and vote the next as long as you registered before the deadline,” Watson said. “In the general election, there is no residency requirement, either.”

The Escambia County Board of Registrars office is located at the Escambia County Courthouse located on Belleville Avenue and is open for registration Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“No special information is required to register to vote,” Watson said. “A potential voter will fill out an application with all the required information and we register them based on the information they provide. Actually, once they complete the application and sign it, they are saying the information in the form is true or they would be committing purgery.”

Watson also said basic identification is acceptable at the polls throughout the county when voting day comes.

“Poll workers will require some form of identification when a voter comes to the polls,” Watson said. “A driver’s license with a photo is the easiest form of identification to present since it has a picture, name and address of the voter. However, other forms of identification will be accepted at the polls including a utility bill with the name and address of the voter or Medicaid or Medicare card or any federally issued card that has the required information on it.”

For more information about registering to vote, contact the Board of Registrars office at 867-0243.