# 2022 Alabama Secretary of State election

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vte :
The 2022 Alabama Secretary of State election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next secretary of state of Alabama. Incumbent Republican Secretary of State John Merrill was term-limited and could not run for a third term.
The Republican primary for this race was held on May 24, 2022. No candidate reached the threshold of 50 percent plus one vote, so an ensuing runoff to decide the nominee was held on June 21, 2022. Although outgoing State Auditor Jim Zeigler won the first round, state representative Wes Allen won the runoff and thus the Republican Party nomination. Allen defeated Democrat Pamela J. Laffitte and Libertarian Matt Shelby in the general election on November 8, 2022.

## Republican primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Wes Allen, member of the Alabama House of Representatives from the 89th district (2018–present)

#### Eliminated in runoff

* Jim Zeigler, Alabama State Auditor (2015–present)

#### Eliminated in primary

* Christian "Chris" Horn, activist and candidate for the Alabama House of Representatives in 2014
* Ed Packard, election administrator in the Alabama Secretary of State office

### Endorsements

Individuals
* Christian Horn, activist and former candidate for this position, eliminated in primary
Organizations
* Alabama Association of Realtors
* Alabama Citizens for Life
* Alabama Farmers Federation
* Alabama Forestry Association
* Coastal 150
* Manufacture Alabama
PACs
* Alabama Realtors Political Action Committee
* Alabama RetailPAC
* ProgressPAC
Individuals
* Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow and political activist
* Dean Odle, former candidate in the 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election
Organizations
* Alabama Republican Assembly
* America First Secretary of State Coalition
* Christian Conservatives of Alabama
* Common Sense Campaign
* Stand For Health Freedom
Individuals
* Wayne Flynt, professor emeritus of history at Auburn University
* Gerald Johnson, professor emeritus of political science at Auburn University

### Debates and forums

The Butler County Republican Party organization held a Republican candidates' forum on February 28, 2022, at the Wendell Mitchell Conference Center on the campus of Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Greenville. The forum was attended by candidates Allen and Packard. The forum also hosted candidates for U.S. Senate, Governor, and the Alabama Supreme Court.
The League of Women Voters hosted a forum for the candidates in the race on April 26, 2022, at the Farley Auditorium located inside the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery. Candidates Chris Horn and Ed Packard were present; Wes Allen declined due to scheduling conflict, and Jim Zeigler fell ill the morning of the forum.
According to the Alabama Political Reporter,
   When asked about ensuring access for certain marginalized groups such as the disabled, homeless and out-of-area college students, Horn said he knows what it is like to be a marginalized group as a Black man and formerly being paralyzed from the neck down.
   "So the first thing is the Secretary of State must not be bureaucratic, but they must lead from the heart," Horn said. "They must have a heart to hear the concerns of those people, my people and those communities that I've been a part of, and certainly be able to listen to the organizations that represent their interests and have an open door— but it's a heart-based leadership."
   Packard also said he would want to work with marginalized groups, adding that he has already been working with the National Federation of the Blind.
   "I've been working with the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program over at the University of Alabama to work on legislation to make voting for people with disabilities easier," Packard said. "And what I have put out ever since I got involved in this race back in December, is that we should allow those individuals who are disabled to vote the same way we allow overseas, military and US citizens to vote and that is electronically from the comfort of their home."
   However, both candidates stated their opposition to early voting and no-excuse absentee voting.
All four candidates were present at a debate hosted by Eagle Forum of Alabama at the O'Neal Public Library in Mountain Brook.
All four candidates were present at the Doster Center in Prattville for a candidates' forum hosted by the Autauga County Republican Executive Committee.
Candidates Allen and Zeigler squared off in a debate at the Gardendale Civic Center just over a week ahead of the Republican primary runoff on June 13, 2022. The debate was cosponsored by WYDE-FM and 1819 News.
2022 Alabama Republican Secretary of State primary debates and forums :
| No. | Date | Location | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants |
| P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | | | | |
| P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee E Eliminated W Withdrawn | Allen | Horn | Packard | Zeigler |
| 1 | Feb 28, 2022 | Greenville | Butler County Republican Party | N/A | N/A | P | A | P | A |
| 2 | Apr 27, 2022 | Montgomery | League of Women Voters | N/A | N/A | A | P | P | A |
| 3 | May 9, 2022 | Mountain Brook | Eagle Forum of Alabama | N/A | Facebook | P | P | P | P |
| 4 | May 11, 2022 | Prattville | Autauga County Republican Party | N/A | N/A | P | P | P | P |
| 5 | June 13, 2022 | Gardendale | WYDE-FM | Scott Beason Becky Garretson | Facebook | P | E | E | P |

### First round
#### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Wes Allen | Christian Horn | Ed Packard | Jim Zeigler | Undecided |
| Emerson College | May 15–16, 2022 | 706 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 14% | 4% | 2% | 20% | 60% |
| Cygnal (R) | May 6–7, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 14% | 3% | 4% | 20% | 59% |
| Wisemen Consulting (R) | March 15–17, 2022 | 905 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 11% | 3% | 3% | 36% | 47% |
| McLaughlin & Associates (R) | March 10–13, 2022 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 13% | 2% | 1% | 26% | 57% |

#### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Jim Zeigler | 237,482 | 42.7% |
| | Republican | Wes Allen | 220,880 | 39.7% |
| | Republican | Christian Horn | 54,572 | 9.8% |
| | Republican | Ed Packard | 43,486 | 7.8% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 556,420 | 100.0% |

### Runoff
#### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Wes Allen | Jim Zeigler | Undecided |
| McLaughlin & Associates (R) | June 13–16, 2022 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 30% | 38% | 32% |
| McLaughlin & Associates (R) | June 6–9, 2022 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 28% | 34% | 37% |

#### Results

Republican primary runoff results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Wes Allen | 248,132 | 65.4% |
| | Republican | Jim Zeigler | 131,413 | 34.6% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 379,545 | 100.0% |

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Pamela J. Laffitte, corrections sergeant and candidate for Alabama State Board of Education in 2020

### Endorsements

Organizations
* Alabama New South Alliance

## Libertarian nomination

No primary was held for the Libertarian Party, and candidates were instead nominated by the party.

### Nominee

* Jason "Matt" Shelby, attorney

## General election
### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe R | December 1, 2021 |
| Elections Daily | Safe R | November 7, 2022 |

### Post-primary endorsements

State officials
* Jim Zeigler, incumbent State Auditor of Alabama (2015–present) and former candidate for this position, eliminated in runoff
Labor unions
* Alabama AFL–CIO

### Results

2022 Alabama Secretary of State election results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Wes Allen | 925,267 | 65.88% | +4.86% |
| | Democratic | Pamela Laffitte | 436,862 | 31.11% | −7.81% |
| | Libertarian | Jason "Matt" Shelby | 41611 | 2.96% | N/A |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 663 | 0.05% | -0.01% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,404,403 | 100.00% | |

#### By congressional district

Allen won 6 of 7 congressional districts.
| District | Allen | Laffitte | Representative |
| 1st | 67% | 29% | Jerry Carl |
| 2nd | 69% | 29% | Barry Moore |
| 3rd | 71% | 26% | Mike Rogers |
| 4th | 84% | 14% | Robert Aderholt |
| 5th | 66% | 30% | Mo Brooks (117th Congress) |
| 5th | 66% | 30% | Dale Strong (118th Congress) |
| 6th | 67% | 29% | Gary Palmer |
| 7th | 36% | 62% | Terri Sewell |