Election Audit Bill’s Failure Disappoints State Auditor

State auditor Andrew Sorrell, who is running for Alabama Secretary of State in 2026, expressed his disappointment regarding Congress’s failure to pass the election audit bill during the 2025 session.

Meanwhile, State Rep. Debbie Wood (R Valley) has proposed a bill requiring probate judges across all counties to perform post-election audits to verify the accuracy of initially reported election results. This measure received approval in the House but did not advance in the Senate.

Sorrell emphasized that ensuring election integrity would be a top priority if elected Secretary of State, and he hopes lawmakers in Montgomery will back such initiatives. “Honestly, I thought the bill could be a bit stronger, but I supported it,” he remarked in a recent interview. “Alabama is the only state in the country that does not audit its elections. This bill passed the Alabama House for three years running yet consistently failed in the Senate.”

He pointed out that during the last session, the bill was brought to the floor but was effectively shelved by a senator’s move, as it was the last day of the session.

Sorrell is confident that there should be no obstacles to the passage of such a bill in Alabama. “This will be my primary focus,” he stated. “I hope Congress can pass it next year, but if not, addressing this will be my first task as Secretary of State.”

Moreover, he mentioned that incorporating watermark voting could be another strategy to enhance election security. “Right now, it’s hard to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent votes,” he said. “Our machines aren’t reliable either. A friend of mine in Lee County tested copied absentee ballots during a public voting test in 2022, and they were processed by the tabulators, just like Georgia.”