Alabama GOP Demands Justice for Voters After Controversial Conecuh County Election Ruling

March 26, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL – The Alabama Republican Party is deeply disappointed by the shocking dismissal of the election contest in the Conecuh County Sheriff's race. This ruling, which fails to fully examine the evidence of election irregularities, is a disservice to the people of Alabama and threatens public trust in the integrity of our elections.

On election night, the race was initially reported as a one-vote lead for the Democratic candidate Randy Brock. After provisional ballots were counted, the race narrowed to a tie between Brock and Republican challenger Mike Blackmon. However, following a recount conducted by an all-Democrat canvassing board, the election was awarded to the Democratic candidate by a two-vote margin. Due to serious concerns over decisions made during the recount, Mike Blackmon and the Alabama Republican Party filed an election contest with the state.

"The decision to dismiss this case fails to properly examine the ballots in question or the significant evidence of election irregularities presented to the court," said ALGOP Chairman John Wahl. "Yesterday was a dark day for Alabama's legal system. The court's refusal to conduct a full review of the contested ballots undermines the credibility of our elections and erodes the public's faith in a fair democratic process. The people of Conecuh County deserve better."

The election contest presented sworn testimony and video evidence exposing serious concerns about the handling of absentee ballots. Witnesses detailed incidents of ballot harvesting, including one voter who testified that her ballot was unlawfully filled out and submitted by someone else-effectively stealing her vote. The court's decision to dismiss this case also upheld the canvassing board's inconsistent handling of ballots, allowing multiple Republican votes to be disqualified simply because voters used a check mark instead of filling in the oval-while similar ballots for Democrat voters were counted. By permitting this double standard, the ruling denied some voters their fundamental right to have their voices heard.

Despite this clear and compelling evidence, the Democrat judge presiding over this contest dismissed the case, siding with the all-Democrat canvassing board without conducting a thorough review of the contested ballots. This failure to ensure a fair and transparent process raises serious questions about the integrity of the election.

Key Facts:

Ballot Harvesting & Stolen Vote:

Ms. Patricia Williams, an elderly African-American woman, testified under oath that her ballot was taken and filled out by another person. She identified Jennifer Grace as the individual who took her ballot. Service was attempted on Ms. Grace, but she refused to comply with the summons. Ms. Williams was an innocent victim who was taken advantage of. Her vote was stolen, and she deserves justice.

Unequal Standards for Counting Votes:

During the recount, multiple Republican ballots were rejected because voters used check marks instead of filling in the ovals. However, similar Democratic ballots were accepted by the canvassing board-a blatant double standard that disenfranchised Republican voters. This inconsistency is unacceptable in a free and fair election. The court was presented with four manually counted ballots-each from a separate precinct-clearly marked for Republican candidate Mike Blackmon but not read by voting machines. Instead of ensuring these votes were counted, Brock's attorney argued they may have already been included in the total. However, since the canvassing board failed to segregate manually counted ballots from machine-counted ones, the only way to verify this would have been to re-run ballots from those precincts through the machines-something the court would not order.

"These facts should concern every citizen who values free and fair elections," said Chairman Wahl. "When voters are treated differently based on political affiliation and when ballots are mishandled or outright stolen, the entire democratic process is compromised. Whatever the final outcome, there should have been a full review of this election contest. Ms. Patricia Williams and the voters of Conecuh County deserve answers. They deserve transparency. They deserve their day in court. The ALGOP will not allow this issue to be swept under the rug. We will fight to ensure that the voice of every voter is heard."

The Alabama Republican Party is exploring all possible avenues of relief, including an appeal. We will continue to fight for election integrity and ensure that the voice of every voter is heard.

For further details, the full trial brief filed on behalf of Mike Blackmon can be found here.