Following a contentious November election, many voters are wary of the political theatrics that usually result from an election recount. Sensitivities are now running high after President-Elect Donald Trump responded to Hillary Clinton and Jill Stein’s effort to re-tally votes in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, by claiming that “millions” of illegal votes were cast against him. Now, Alabama’s Secretary of State is saying “not in Alabama.”
“We have not seen any level of inconsistency which would indicate that there is a need for concern where there has been a large number of people who have been registered to vote who should not be registered to vote,” Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill told WSFA. “We have not seen any level of inconsistency which would indicate that there is a need for concern. Everybody wants honest and fair elections.”
He added that, as the state’s top election official, no one is more concerned about ensuring the trustworthiness of November’s results.
“The thing we are most concerned about, and that means the most to us, is the integrity and credibility of the election system and election process in the great state of Alabama.” Merrill said.
During the weeks leading up to election day, Merrill had made it clear that the state had implemented strict checks and procedures to ensure that the full voting process was secure and accountable.
Other Secretaries of State across the nation have echoed the same sentiment, though that doesn’t mean that all did enough to prevent illegal votes from being cast.
One expert told the Daily Signal, a news publication run by The Heritage Foundation, that he believes over 800,000 noncitizens may have cast ballots in the election. It’s an imperfect model, and should have little-to-no impact on the election results. However, such projections could empower the likely soon-to-be Attorney General Jeff Sessions to enforce greater protections against voter fraud.
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