HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Alabama primaries is less than two weeks away, and election integrity is a hot topic. FOX54 caught up with Alabama's Secretary of State to ask about election security and what voters need to know at the polls.
One thing Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen wants to make very clear to the public ahead of the March 5th presidential primary is that Alabama elections are safe. "Well, one thing I want the public to understand is Alabama elections are safe, secure and transparent. We will always have paper ballots. We've got a state law that requires paper ballots, so we'll always have receipts and that our tabulators are not connected to the internet. The only plug that we have on that tabulator is the one that goes into the wall for the electricity. There's no modem, there's no ability for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology or anything. It is just a tabulator. When you put your paper ballot in there, it tabulates your vote. And at the end of the night in Alabama, you're going to be able to to know who wins and loses these races and and throughout the state of Alabama.
Secretary Allen likes to call those local officials who run elections, heroes. "We've been in constant communication with all of the probate judges around the state and the circuit clerks who handle the absentee voting and sheriffs who handle custody of the ballots. And then our board of registrars who handle the voter file maintenance and voter registration. So that's really important. We've been in constant contact in preparation for March the fifth. Listen, those local officials who run our elections, they are the heroes. They are the ones that get it done."
Another thing to note when voters head to the precincts on March 5th is that photo I.D. is a requirement. "They'll have to present photo identification, and that's one thing that Alabama really does well to make sure that no fraud happens on election day. And, you know, it's really easy. There's there's it's just your driver's license or any other type of photo identification."