Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) chairman John Wahl on Monday endorsed legislation requiring post-election audits in state elections after years of attempts in the legislature.
2025 will be the third year State Rep. Debbie Wood (R-Valley) has endeavored to pass a bill requiring the probate judge of each county to conduct a post-election audit after every county and statewide general election.
Despite Alabama being the only state without any form of post-election audit, in 2023 and 2024, lawmakers quashed Wood’s attempts to secure the measure that she and others believe will enhance confidence in the state’s elections.
This year’s version of the bill, House Bill 30 (HB30), is identical to the version that made its way to the Senate in 2024 before gambling gridlock halted its advancement like dozens of others at the tail end of the contentious session.
HB30 has been assigned to the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee but has yet to appear on the committee’s calendar for consideration.
While the bill has been backed by current State Auditor and Secretary of State hopeful Andrew Sorrell, Wahl also recently came out supporting the bill, as he has done in previous years.
“Election integrity should not be a partisan issue—it is a key foundational principle of our Constitutional Republic,” Wahl said. “Every voter deserves to know that their ballot is counted accurately and that our elections are accurate, transparent, and fair. A post-election audit will provide an additional layer of accountability, helping to strengthen trust in our election system.”
He continued, “Our state must be proactive in safeguarding voter confidence. No one should have to worry about the accuracy of the ballot-counting process. By implementing a post-election audit, we send a strong message that Alabama is committed to fair and transparent elections. This is a common-sense approach that will protect every citizen’s right to vote and ensure that every legal vote is counted accurately.”
HB30 would require a post-election manual audit after every county and statewide general election. This audit would consist of a manual tally of all ballots in at least one randomly selected precinct for one countywide or statewide race, chosen randomly by the canvassing board. Any audit would occur after the 31 days allowed for an election contest have passed.
The original 2024 bill stated that the audit would be hand-counted. The new version allows audits with a "clean" tabulator not used in any actual election. Hand counting is also allowed. The state will also reimburse counties for any cost accrued performing the audit.
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