FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, September 23, 2021—MONTGOMERY, AL— Secretary of State John H. Merrill is pleased to announce the formation of the Voter Fraud Reform Task Force, which will meet on September 30, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Alabama State House in Room 123 on 11 South Union Street in Montgomery. The task force will consist of 15 members, including the Secretary of State serving as the Chairman.

Secretary Merrill stated, “We believe it is necessary to examine how we define voter fraud in our state and the penalties we assess for voter fraud violations. It is important to note that we assembled a team of respected Alabamians from diverse backgrounds and political persuasions.

“If or when instances of voter fraud are identified, we want to investigate each reported case, and if it is warranted, seek an indictment and then ensure that all guilty parties are convicted after a successful prosecution.  However, we believe that it is important to ensure that any individual convicted of voter fraud is punished in an appropriate way and in accordance with the Constitution, as well as state and federal laws.”

The members of the task force are Secretary of State John H. Merrill, Senator Sam Givhan (R), Senator Bobby Singleton (D), Representative Matt Simpson (R), Representative Merika Coleman (D), Bullock County Probate Judge James Tatum, Houston County Circuit Clerk Carla Woodall, Montgomery County Sheriff Derek Cunningham, District Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit Michael Jackson, Reid Harris of the Attorney General’s Office, retired Circuit Judge John England, Matt Clark of the Alabama Policy Institute, Southern Poverty Law Center founder Morris Dees, Lu Rivera of Eagle Forum, and Dillon Nettles of the American Civil Liberties Union.     

These meetings will be open to the general public.  

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