A 'voter fraud' complaint in Alabama falls flat

Source: Washington Post

PowerPost

A voter fraud complaint in Alabama falls flat

By David Weigel December 21 at 5:57 PM

Alabamas secretary of state determined on Thursday that a man who told a local Fox station that people from different parts of the country had helped Sen.-elect Doug Jones (D) win last weeks special election was, in fact, a legal voter in Alabama.

After additional research was conducted, it was determined that this young man has lived and worked in Alabama for more than one year and is currently a registered voter in this state, Secretary of State John H. Merrill, a Republican, said in a statement. We applaud this young mans energy, excitement, and enthusiasm for the electoral process and we are always encouraged when we observe Alabamians who are actively engaged in campaigns and elections in our state.

The man, who was not identified by Merrills office, became the focus of a popular conspiracy theory after Republican nominee Roy Moore refused to concede the Dec. 12 election. In its election night coverage, Birmingham-based Fox 10 captured the man celebrating with friends and waving a Doug Jones sign.

“We came here all the way from different parts of the country as part of our fellowship, and all of us pitched in to vote and canvas together, and we got our boy elected,” he said. ... After Jones’s victory was confirmed, clips from the Fox 10 broadcast circulated widely in fringe conservative media. Infowars, a conspiracy-focused news site founded by Alex Jones, posted the clip on Dec. 14, speculating that the unidentified man had admitted to voter fraud.
....

David Weigel is a national political correspondent covering Congress and grassroots political movements. He's the author of "The Show That Never Ends," a history of progressive rock music. Follow @daveweigel

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/12/21/a-voter-fraud-complaint-in-alabama-falls-flat/

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Retweeted by Dave Weigel: https://twitter.com/daveweigel

Remember that video of a guy at Doug Jones's party saying people came from across America "to vote and canvass?"

The GOP Secretary of State investigated... and that guy is a legitimate Alabama voter, who moved there this year.

Link to tweet