Roy Moore isn’t finished with Alabama just yet. The former Republican Senate candidate filed a lawsuit Wednesday in an attempt to prevent the state from certifying Democrat Doug Jones as the winner of the Senate special election.
Jones defeated Moore on Dec. 12 by more than 20,000 votes.
What is the basis of Moore’s suit?
Moore’s complaint cited “systematic voter fraud” and noted that such fraud “tainted the Dec. 12 special election,” according to the New York Times.
The Associated Press reported that Moore’s complaint pointed to a higher than normal voter turnout in various Alabama counties, as well as a suspiciously low vote count for Moore himself.
“This is not a Republican or Democrat issue, as election integrity should matter to everyone,” Moore said in a Wednesday statement. “We call on Secretary of State Merrill to delay certification until there is a thorough investigation of what three independent election experts agree took place: election fraud sufficient to overturn the outcome of the election.”
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill on Dec. 15, however, stated that he had “not seen any irregularities or inconsistencies that are outside the norm.”
AL.com reported that three “national election integrity experts” also alleged that voter fraud had occurred during the special election.
Has there been a response?
Despite Moore’s pending lawsuit, Merrill says he has no plans to delay the certification of the Senate election — which is to be held Thursday.
“It is not going to delay certification and Doug Jones will be certified [Thursday] at 1 p.m. and he will be sworn in by Vice President Pence on the third of January,” Merrill said, according to the AP.
Merrill has said that he and his office have not discovered any evidence of voter fraud but will investigate any complaints submitted by Moore.
What’s the history?
Moore and Jones faced off against one another to fill the Senate vacancy left by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
During the race, several women came forward and accused Moore of sexual misconduct. Moore has vehemently denied these claims and repeatedly professed his innocence.
Moore, at the time of this writing, has still not conceded the race to Jones.
Via Blaze
by Doyle Alexander via enVolve
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