The Alabama secretary of state’s office is not yet releasing the names of 674 voters it believes may have violated the state’s new ban on crossover voting in primary runoffs. John Bennett, communications director for Secretary of State John Merrill, said the names would be disclosed after they are verified by county election officials. Merrill asked county officials to review the list of crossover voters and report any errors by Nov. 6. After the list is confirmed, it will be turned over to prosecutors, Merrill told the Associated Press. He said it would be up to prosecutors whether to pursue charges, but said he believed it was his office’s responsibility to report the violations.
The Legislature passed the crossover voting ban this year and it was in effect for the first time during the Sept. 26 Republican runoff between Roy Moore and Sen. Luther Strange in the special election for the U.S. Senate.
The law says that voters who vote in a party primary cannot cross over and vote in an ensuing runoff of the other party. So those who voted in the Aug. 15 Democratic primary were not eligible to vote in the GOP runoff.
Full Article: John Merrill’s office not ready to release names of crossover voters | AL.com.