Alabama’s 82-year-old Republican Gov. Kay Ivey sparked concern on Election Day after cameras captured her needing assistance from two people as she made her way out of a polling location, marking a striking moment in the final months of her political career.
Ivey, who has governed the deeply conservative state since 2017, was seen being supported on both sides after casting her ballot Tuesday morning, November 3, at the Cleveland Avenue YMCA in Montgomery.
The footage showed the longtime Republican leader moving slowly as two people helped her walk away from the building.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey cast her final vote as governor Tuesday morning at the Cleveland Avenue YMCA in Montgomery. https://t.co/m16xhuFYzv
— WSFA 12 News (@wsfa12news) November 3, 2026
Her appearance came just days after the governor released a prerecorded Election Day message in which her voice sounded noticeably shaky as she urged residents to participate in the midterm elections.
“We have some major races on the ballot. We will be choosing our next governor. We’ll be electing the newest United States senator,” Ivey said in the video.
She continued by highlighting her administration’s accomplishments, including job creation, education, infrastructure improvements and public safety, before reminding voters of their responsibility to participate in democracy.
“And as citizens, we have no greater responsibility than to participate in our elections,” she said.
The governor has faced health challenges in recent years. Earlier in 2026, Ivey spent two nights in a Montgomery hospital after undergoing a procedure to remove fluid pressing against her lung.
Her office said at the time that she was recovering and expected to resume working at the Capitol. Ivey previously underwent radiation treatment for lung cancer in 2019, with her office announcing the following year that she was disease-free.
There has been no confirmed connection between those medical issues and her Election Day appearance, and the footage alone cannot establish the cause of her difficulty walking.
Tuesday’s vote carried particular significance for Ivey, who is barred from seeking another consecutive term under Alabama’s constitution.
The governor is preparing to leave office after nearly a decade in power, with Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, seeking to replace her.
Tuberville faces former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who is hoping to pull off a major upset in a state where Republicans have dominated statewide politics for years.
Ivey has endorsed Tuberville, while Trump has also thrown his support behind Republican Rep. Barry Moore, who is running to replace Tuberville in the Senate against Democrat Everett Wess.
Despite Alabama’s strong Republican lean, the elections will determine whether Trump’s allies maintain their grip on the state’s highest offices.
Ivey became Alabama’s governor in April 2017 following the resignation of Robert Bentley. She subsequently won full terms in 2018 and 2022, cementing her position as one of the state’s most prominent Republican leaders.
Now, as Alabama voters choose her successor, the governor’s visibly difficult walk from the polling station has become an unexpected and sobering image from her final Election Day in office.
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