WASHINGTON (TIP): An Alabama circuit judge on Thursday, December 28, rejected Republican Roy Moore’s request to halt the certification, arguing the court did not have jurisdiction. Meanwhile, officials from the secretary of state’s office dismissed accounts of voter fraud provided by Moore’s attorneys.
“There have not been any issues at this time that have been reported and determined to be verified as fraud,” said John Bennett, Merrill’s deputy chief of staff.
Still, Moore, 70, the defiant former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, refused to concede.
The three Republicans who make up Alabama’s canvassing board — Gov. Kay Ivey, Atty. Gen. Steve Marshall and Secretary of State John Merrill — certified Jones as the victor of the closely watched Dec. 12 special election.
“I’ve had to fight not only the Democrats but also the Republican Senate Leadership Fund and over $50 million in opposition spending from the Washington establishment,” he said in a statement after Republican state leaders certified Jones’ win. “I have stood for the truth about God and the Constitution for the people of Alabama”
“I have no regrets,” he added. “To God be the glory.”
In the 80-page complaint filed in state court, Moore’s attorneys asked that state officials be ordered to preserve election-related documents and data, block the certification, and direct state officials to set a new special election.
On Thursday, an attorney for Jones filed a motion to dismiss Moore’s complaint on the grounds that “there is a lack of subject matter jurisdiction; [the complaint] fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted; and/or [it] has no basis in the law.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the Jones transition team urged Moore to bow out of the race.
“This desperate attempt by Roy Moore to subvert the will of the people will not succeed,” Sam Coleman said. “The election is over, it’s time to move on.”
In the complaint, Moore’s attorneys maintain that he will “suffer irreparable harm” if the election results are certified “without preserving and investigating all the evidence of potential fraud.” He would be denied “his full right as a candidate to a fair election,” they argue.
Merrill, a Republican, maintains his office has found no evidence of voter fraud. Last week, he issued a statement noting that his office had discounted one widely publicized report of potential voter fraud — a viral video in which a male voter claimed in a local news broadcast that he and others had come “all the way from different parts of the country” to vote and canvass for Jones.
“The Alabama Secretary of State’s Office was able to identify the young man who was anonymously featured on the news broadcast,” Merrill said in a statement. “After additional research was conducted, it was determined that this young man has lived and worked in Alabama for more than one year and is currently a registered voter in this state.”
Yet Moore’s campaign states in the complaint that Merrill never conducted a “meaningful, in-depth investigation of voter fraud.”
They also list a series of election “anomalies,” claiming there were an unusual number of out-of-state drivers’ licenses and suggesting that Democrats attempted to intimidate voters, with a Democratic super PAC running “fraudulent, false and misleading advertisements” against Moore.
“I am looking forward to going to work for the people of Alabama in the new year,” Jones said in a statement. “As I said on election night, our victory marks a new chapter for our state and the nation. I will be an independent voice and work to find common ground with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get Washington back on track and fight to make our country a better place for all.”
Official totals indicated Jones won by 21,924 votes, his margin of victory up to 1.6 percentage points from the previous unofficial total of 1.5 points.