The Legislature moved the state's primaries from their usual June slot to February in an attempt to give the state more influence in the presidential races. But the early date -- Feb. 5 -- falls on Fat Tuesday, which is celebrated with street-blocking parades, hall-filling Mardi Gras balls and general revelry.

The state granted each county an additional voting day, Jan. 30, to help avoid Mardi Gras conflicts and $100,000 to notify voters of the plans for the election. The counties are handling the upcoming primary differently.

Mobile County will have all precincts open Jan. 30 and is encouraging residents to vote on that day, rather than Feb. 5, when only one voting location will be available.

Baldwin County, meanwhile, will only have one voting location open Jan. 30, with all precincts available Feb. 5.

Mobile and Baldwin polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. both voting days.

Baldwin is taking the different approach because that county will have fewer Mardi Gras events around Feb. 5, Baldwin Probate Court Judge Adrian Johns said last week.

"Obviously, in Mobile County there can be gridlock on Mardi Gras Day," Johns said. "As it has turned out in Baldwin County, there's only one location -- that's the Fairhope Civic Center -- that needed to be moved because of Mardi Gras."

A Feb. 4 Mardi Gras ball in the civic center will push that precinct's Feb. 5 voters to Fairhope's James P. Nix Center, according to Johns.

Baldwin voters who don't want to vote on Mardi Gras can cast their ballots Jan. 30 at the Foley Civic Center.

"We're prepared to handle the voters at the polls whichever day they decide to vote on," Johns said.

Mobile Probate Court Judge Don Davis also expressed confidence that his county's election workers would be able to handle the separate voting days, but he's targeting Jan. 30 for the bulk of the voting.

"That's when we hope most, if not all, of the voters of Mobile County will go to their neighborhood precinct," Davis said.

Davis added that he is not expecting more than 12,000 people to show up Feb. 5 at the Revenue Commissioner's Office, located at Michael Boulevard and Azalea Road, the only Mobile voting center open that day.

Mobile and Baldwin residents can also vote by absentee ballot for any reason in this election.

Despite the opposite strategies that Mobile and Baldwin will employ for the primaries, Davis said he expects large public information campaigns to clear up most voter confusion.

Last week, Mobile County kicked off their ad campaign. The effort, which will continue through Feb. 5, includes newspaper, radio and television advertisements.

All registered Mobile County voters will also receive a postcard reminding them to vote Jan. 30. This postcard will be accepted at polls as voter identification, according to Davis.

"We are spending every penny" of the $100,000 the state will pay for Mobile to notify voters of the primary change, Davis said. "There will not be any excuse for ... a citizen of Mobile County not to know what's going on."

Johns anticipated that Baldwin will spend between $70,000 and $80,000 of its state allocation to inform voters about the election.

"My concern was that ... our effort be able to reasonably match the effort in Mobile County, to keep down the confusion on the part of Baldwin County voters" who may think Mobile's approach applies to Baldwin, Johns said. "I like to think positive. I expect very few problems."

SOME DATES TO REMEMBER

Jan. 22 : Last day to register to vote

Jan. 24 : Final day to apply for an absentee ballot in Baldwin County without emergency exception

Jan. 25 : Final day to apply for an absentee ballot in Mobile County without emergency exception

Jan. 30 : Preferred voting day in Mobile, all precincts open; Baldwin residents can vote at Foley Civic Center, 407 E Laurel Ave. in Foley

Feb. 4 : Latest date that a Mobile or Baldwin absentee ballot can be dropped off or postmarked

Feb. 5 : All Baldwin precincts open; Mobile residents can vote at the Revenue Commissioner's Office, 3925 Michael Blvd. at Azalea Road in Mobile

© 2008 Press-Register