The administrator of elections for the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office on Monday announced he’s running for secretary of state, and called for post-election audits of every election in the state.
Ed Packard, a 24-year employee of the Secretary of State’s office and a Republican, announced his candidacy in a statement Monday.
“Alabama’s voters expect and are due the ability to vote in elections that are free and fair, “ Packard said in the statement. “Alabamians should not have to be concerned about whether our elections have integrity and credibility. We election administrators should faithfully implement the rules by which elections are held. And to ensure that is done, the Alabama Legislature should provide for post-election audits of all elections in the State of Alabama.”
“I have worked with the voting public and our county and city election officials for well over 24 years. I have heard their concerns about recent elections. We have a strong election system in Alabama, but there is always room for improvement, especially reasonable improvements that the voting public insists on,” Packard continued. “Alabamians should be assured that their right to vote can be used effectively to choose the men and women who will lead our federal, state, county, and city governments.”
The inaccurate uproar of election fraud kicked up by former President Donald Trump, his supporters and many Republicans following the election of President Joe Biden has resulted in numerous failed lawsuits alleging widespread voter fraud, and Republican-backed legislation in Alabama and many other states seeking to cast U.S. elections as imperiled by fraud and in need of extra security measures.
The popularity among some conservatives, and especially ardent Trump supporters, of casting U.S. elections as rife with fraud continues to surface in campaign commercials and candidate statements, despite Trump’s own administration investigating and finding no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill himself has rebuffed unfounded claims of voter fraud in Alabama’s 2020 presidential election, claims made by Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow and one of former President Donald Trump’s key supporters, who said he believes 100,000 Alabama votes were “flipped” and the state’s voting machines hacked.
Merrill and some of his staff have met with Lindell twice to discuss his concerns, which he’s voiced without any proof.
“The thing we have maintained is that we didn’t have any issues, any irregularities, any inconsistencies, any probing, any concerns that was introduced at any level to us,” Merrill told AL.com in October.
The Alabama Republican Party primary election is set for May 24.
