Four hours after this story was published, Secretary of State Wes Allen formally announced his campaign for Lt. Governor of Alabama in 2026. It has been slightly revised to include the latest information while preserving its original perspective.
In an era of increasing distrust in American elections, Alabama has essentially become the gold standard for election integrity advocates, thanks largely to Secretary of State Wes Allen, who serves as Alabama’s chief election officer.
Months before the 2024 election, The Heritage Foundation, the conservative think-tank reviled by Democrats for its Project 2025 playbook for right-wing governance, ranked Alabama second out of 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., in election integrity – tied with Florida and Georgia and just behind Tennessee.
One pivotal policy that helped secure this spot on the Heritage scorecard came during the 2024 legislative session in the form of Sen. Garlan Gudger’s (R-Cullman) Senate Bill 1, which effectively banned ballot harvesting in Alabama. Secretary Allen and Governor Kay Ivey strongly advocated for the bill’s passage, and Ivey signed it into law on March 20.
Despite high praise from conservatives, Alabama’s strict election laws have been blamed for low voter turnout. In November, only 58.5% of registered voters in the state cast a ballot, the lowest percentage since 1988. Critics say the lack of early voting opportunities for Alabamians is responsible for this.
Asked for his response, Secretary Allen told Yellowhammer News, “In Alabama, we have Election Day, not election month, and there’s a reason that people are so confident in our electoral process in Alabama…Number one, we’ve passed legislation that requires that we always have paper ballots; we passed legislation that requires our tabulators not to have the ability to connect to the internet; we passed legislation that requires photo identification…Those are things that keep our process strong.”
“I view my role as Secretary as someone who interfaces and works alongside all of our elections officials at the local level, meaning probate judges, circuit clerks, sheriffs, and Boards of Registrars. Working with them is of utmost importance. It is up to the candidates to excite the public to go vote, and it is our job in the Secretary’s office to make sure that we have transparent, accountable, fair elections.”
Original Article Posted at: https://yellowhammernews.com/wes-allen-reflects-on-2024-and-looks-ahead-to-2026/