Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill declared Thursday morning that Democrat Doug Jones will be certified the winner of the Alabama special Senate election despite Republican Roy Moore’s refusal to concede and a new lawsuit aimed to block the results and demand for a new election.
Moore filed an election complaint on Wednesday, alleging potential voter fraud in Alabama’s special election and urged a delay in certifying the results.
Citing a conspiracy theorist as an expert, Moore’s attorney wrote in the complaint filed late Wednesday that the defeated Republican candidate believed there were irregularities during the election and said there should be a fraud investigation and eventually a new election.
However, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill issued a swift response, telling The Associated Press that he won’t postpone the canvassing board meeting.
Merrill confirmed Thursday morning that Democrat Doug Jones will be certified the winner of the Alabama special Senate election.
“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.
Merrill said he has so far not found evidence of voter fraud, but that his office will investigate any complaint that Moore submits.
Jones and Moore were competing to fill the U.S. Senate seat that previously belonged to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore’s campaign was plagued by accusations of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls decades ago.
