Secretary of State John Merrill issues crossover voting reminder
The Primary Runoff Election is on June 21, 2022. Secretary of State John Merrill issued a press release to remind voters that if they voted in the Primary Election, they must vote in the same political party’s Primary Runoff Election. Since 2017, Alabama’s Crossover Voting Law has been in effect, and it prohibits crossover voting within a particular election cycle. For example, if a voter cast a ballot in the Republican Primary Election, then they are prohibited from casting a ballot in the Democratic Primary Runoff Election. That voter must cast a ballot in the Republican Primary Runoff Election and vice versa. However, voters who did not participate in the May 24th Primary Election or voters who strictly voted on constitutional amendments, are free to cast a ballot in either party’s Primary Runoff Election.
Secretary of State John Merrill says Dems who illegally vote Tuesday could face jail time
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said he’s received reports from several voting locations where Alabamians who voted in the Aug. 15 Democratic primary were attempting to cast ballots in Tuesday’s GOP runoff. According to Alabama state law, that’s considered voter fraud and is illegal. State residents are prohibited to vote in one party’s primary and later voting in the other party’s runoff election. The process, deemed “crossover voting,” was made illegal earlier this year in an attempt to limit cross-party candidate selection as Alabamians are not required to register to a specific party to vote, but may only vote in one party’s primary. According to Merrill, any person who votes, or knowingly attempts to vote, or assists another person in voting when they when not entitled to do so shall be guilty upon conviction of a Class C felony, and could face up to a year and a day in prison, which may include a fine not to exceed $15,000. “When I campaigned for Office I made a promise to the people of this state to ensure that any instance in which someone was reported as having violated the law that they would be investigated, prosecuted, and indicted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Merrill . “We will continue that practice with this election and all reported incidents will be investigated. No charges have been filed at this time. “The integrity of the elections process is at stake today and we will not allow nor will we tolerate efforts to assist people who behave with such reckless disregard for the process and are willing to lie their way to a felony conviction,” Merrill continued. If you observe this activity or any other form of voter fraud please do not hesitate to call (334) 242-7210 or go online to stopvoterfraudnow.com.
