Last year, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell made the extraordinary claim that 100,000 votes in Alabama were "flipped" during the 2020 election.

At the time, Secretary of State John Merrill insisted such a feat would be impossible given there was no way Alabama's voting machines could be accessed from the outside to "flip" votes.

Last week, Lindell endorsed State Auditor Jim Zeigler, a candidate for the GOP nod for the open Secretary of State position soon to be vacated by Merrill. Lindell in his endorsement said Alabamians need "a Secretary of State who will stand firm in the fight for election integrity and be a protector of the people’s vote."

One of Zeigler's Republican opponents, State Rep. Wes Allen (R-Troy), backed Merrill's earlier claim.

He explained during an appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5 that Alabama's voting machines were not vulnerable to attacks from beyond the machine, given it was not possible for those machines to be connected to an outside network, including the internet.

"I can tell you when I was a probate judge and the chief elections administrator for Pike County and ran a lot of elections in Pike County -- I have certified the machines," Allen said. "We have tested the machines. Our machines in Alabama do not have modems. They cannot be connected to the internet. I tell [people] that when I'm out on the campaign trail all the time, and people are concerned about what they saw around the country. They just want to make sure we've got safe secure elections in Alabama.

"I understand that question. But our machines do not have modems, so they cannot be connected. The only plugs the machines have is the one you plug into the wall to have electricity. And so, I just want the people of Alabama to understand our machines are not connected, nor can they be connected, to the internet. It can't be connected through Bluetooth. It can't be connected through the wall. I didn't see any of that in Alabama when I was a probate judge. I didn't see it last time. But I certainly understand the concern of the people about what they saw in other states."

To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com.

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