Alabama’s top election official announced Thursday he will ignore former GOP Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore’s lawsuit and certify Democrat Doug Jones.
Moore filed a complaint Wednesday in the U.S. circuit court of Alabama, arguing voter fraud caused him the Dec. 12 special Senate election. Moore’s ultimate goal with the lawsuit is to stop Jones’ certification Thursday afternoon, but the state’s top election official isn’t changing his plans in the face of Moore’s legal challenge.
“Will this affect anything?” John Merrill, Alabama’s secretary of state, said Thursday on CNN’s “New Day.” “The short answer to that is no. Doug Jones will be certified today.”
WATCH:
Alabama Secretary of State: Doug Jones will be certified today at 2p despite new claims from Roy Moore campaign https://t.co/RdlzRIUiO3
— New Day (@NewDay) December 28, 2017
Moore’s lawyers argue that if Jones is certified before state officials thoroughly investigate, it will cause Moore “irreparable harm” and will ultimately be denying Moore his right to run in a free and “fair election.”
Moore has still yet to concede to Jones even after President Donald Trump called on him to do so earlier this month.
Jones defeated Moore by a fairly narrow margin of 22,000 votes.
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