The Alabama Republican Party Candidate Committee held a re-hearing of the election contest between Jay Hovey and Tom Whatley this morning at 10 a.m.
The re-hearing was granted at the request of Jay Hovey, and was based on new evidence in the form of a statement released by ALEA approximately 24 hours after the initial hearing concluded. At the time of the original hearing there was a question as to whether the voter at issue was or was not registered to vote. ALEA’s Statement made it clear that the voter was not registered to vote.
Senator Tom Whatley withdrew before the re-hearing was held.
After deliberating on the matter, it is the decision of the Committee to vacate its earlier decision and to deny the Contest based on the new information.
Councilman Jay Hovey is the Alabama Republican Party nominee in Alabama Senate District 27.
ALGOP Statement:
“Election security and making sure that every legal vote is properly counted is of paramount importance to the Alabama Republican Party. ALEA’s statement makes it clear that Mrs. Kenney was not registered to vote for the primary election. We believe in the rule of law, and that only legal votes should be counted.
“We also believe that the ability to vote is a sacred right, and one that the Alabama Republican Party is committed to protecting and defending. The Candidate Committee did not want to discount Mrs. Kenney’s provisional ballot while there was any reasonable doubt that she could have actually been registered to vote. We believe that everyone deserves that respect.
“The election contest process is incredibly difficult for the Alabama Republican Party. We care about each of our candidates, and we want them all to be successful. The rulings in these cases took longer than some wanted, but we felt it critical that all sides had a chance to gather information and investigate what happened. The ALGOP Candidate Committee heard arguments from both sides of all cases, considered the information presented to it, and made its rulings based on what was set forth.
“This election cycle has revealed several areas of serious concern in the election process. These issues led to problems that hurt the Alabama Republican Party, our candidates, and our voters. We plan to work with lawmakers, the Secretary of State, Probate Judges, Boards of Registrars, and ALEA to find solutions to these problems, and to make sure they don’t happen again. The ALGOP believes Alabama and our voters deserve better. We invite Councilman Hovey and Senator Whatley – as well as our other candidates – to join us in this effort.
“We would like to thank Senator Whatley for his many years in the legislature on behalf of his district. His commitment to public service and our Party’s values are to be commended.
“The Party looks forward to working with Councilman Hovey as he now turns his focus to the general election. The ALGOP is united and energized more than ever to take back our country this November.”
###