John Merrill (American politician)

John Harold Merrill (born November 12, 1963) is an American politician serving as the 53rd secretary of state of Alabama since 2015. He served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2010 through 2014. Merrill is a member of the Republican Party.

John Merrill
53rd Secretary of State of Alabama
Incumbent
Assumed office January 19, 2015
Governor	Robert Bentley Kay Ivey
Preceded by	James Bennett
Member of the Alabama House of Representatives from the 62nd district
In office 2010–2014
Preceded by	Gerald Allen
Succeeded by	Rich Wingo
Personal details
Born	(1963-11-12) November 12, 1963 Wedowee, Alabama, U.S.
Political party	Republican (2010–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 2010)
Spouse(s)	Cindy
Children	2
Education	University of Alabama (BA)

Early life

Merrill was born in Wedowee, Alabama and raised in Heflin, Alabama. His father served as the Cleburne County circuit clerk and a probate judge. At the age of sixteen he received the Eagle Scout Award as a member of his local boy scouts troop.[1]In 1982, he graduated from Cleburne County High School. Merrill double majored in history and politics at the University of Alabama and received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1987. Merrill interned for the United States Congress from May to July 1983, where he met representative William Flynt Nichols, who became his mentor. The following year, Merrill interned in the capitol for senator Howell Heflin between May and July 1984. He served as the president of the University of Alabama's Student Government Association from 1986 to 1987.[2]

Career

Merrill served as the spokesperson for the Tuscaloosa County School District, and as a business development officer for the First Federal Bank in Tuscaloosa.[2] He was elected to represent the 62nd district in the Alabama House of Representatives in the 2010 elections having previously run and lost for the same seat in 2002 as a Democrat.[3] He served in the House of Representatives for a single term from 2010 through 2014.

Merrill announced in January 2013 that he would run for Secretary of State of Alabama in the 2014 elections.[3] In the Republican Party primary election in June 2014, Merrill finished in first, advancing to a runoff election in July,[4] which he won.[5] In the general election on November 3, 2014, he defeated Lula Albert-Kaigler, the Democratic Party nominee with more than 60% of the vote.[6] He succeeded James R. Bennett, who had been appointed to the office to fill out the remainder of the term of the Republican incumbent representative Beth Chapman.[7] Merrill was elected to a second full term in 2018.[8]

Election oversight

See also: Elections in Alabama

Voter access

A 2016 study by professors Bridget A. King and Norman E. Youngblood at Auburn University, found the content and quality of Alabama's county election and voting websites were lacking with relevant information regarding deadlines, polling stations, and voter requirements. King and Youngblood's evaluation of the relationship between voting systems and "demographic, socioeconomic, partisan, and participatory composition" of counties showed "limited voting and election information and are not in full compliance with accessibility, usability, and mobile readiness standards." Furthermore, they found the extent to which voting and elections information are provided is "related to county composition."[9]

Voter ID

Merrill defended Alabama's Voter ID law passed in 2011. In a 2016 United States Court of Appeals decision, Alabama's Voter ID law was determined to be unconstitutional because of its perceived disruption to the federalized voter registration forms. Alabama's law was challenged by the League of Women Voters over a potential violation of the Voting Rights Act. The law had required voters to furnish proof of citizenship when registering at the polls in an effort to prevent voter fraud.[10] The decision effectively struck down a rule that required voters in Alabama to provide proof they are American citizens. Elsewhere, voters only need to swear that they are citizens in order to cast a ballot.[11][12]

Following the court's decision, Merrill lead an effort to successfully make Alabama's Voter ID law constitutional and legal again by conforming to constitutional mandates and federal guidelines.[13]

Merrill applauded the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision by the United States Supreme Court, which among other things, limits federal poll monitoring in Southern states.[14] The court's ruling was criticized by Democratic and liberal groups like the Advancement Project.[15]

Poll monitoring

Merrill was part of a coalition of American election officials who traveled with fellow Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) poll monitors to Russia for poll monitoring during the parliamentary elections held on September 18, 2016.[16] While Merrill did not personally witness corrupt or improper procedures, the report found systemic problems with "serious irregularities during voting" and even worse practices during ballot counting.[16]

2020 United States Senate campaign

On June 25, 2019, Merrill announced his candidacy for Alabama's United States Senate seat in the 2020 election against incumbent Democratic senator Doug Jones. He was one of five GOP candidates.[17]

On July 17, 2019, at a campaign event in Fort Payne, he stated that "homosexual activities" pervasive in mainstream media had partly lead to the nation's moral decline. When asked in a follow-up interview, Merrill pointed to the media coverage of the United States women's national soccer team win in the World Cup as an instance.[18] According to Merrill, there are no longer any television shows "that are based on biblical foundations" which "promote family and culture with a father, a mother, and children" present.[17]

Personal life

Merrill is a relative of Hugh Davis Merrill, the former lieutenant governor of Alabama and Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, Hugh Davis Merrill, Jr., who served in the House, and Pelham Jones Merrill who served in the House and fought in World War II.

Merrill is married to the former Cindy Benford of Phil Campbell, Alabama. They were married on May 11th, 1985 at Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[19] They have two children.[20]

Electoral history

Alabama House of Representatives 62nd District Republican Primary Election, 2010
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	John Merrill	3,262	56.12
Republican	Jerry Tingle	2,551	43.88

Alabama House of Representatives 62nd District Election, 2010
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	John Merrill	11,658	86.66
Constitution	Steven Kneussle	1,694	12.59
Write-ins	Write-ins	100	0.74

Alabama Secretary of State Republican Primary Election, 2014
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	John Merrill	143,960	39.57
Republican	Reese McKinney	139,763	38.42
Republican	Jim Perdue	80,050	22.01

Alabama Secretary of State Republican Primary Runoff Election, 2014
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	John Merrill	108,740	53.14
Republican	Reese McKinney	95,877	46.86

Alabama Secretary of State Election, 2014
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	John Merrill	733,298	64.27
Democratic	Lula Albert-Kaigler	406,373	35.62
Write-ins	Write-ins	1,271	0.11

References

1. "26 Jul 1980, Page 50 - The Anniston Star at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
2. "Doing what he has always wanted to do... Secretary of State - elect, John Merrill". AL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
3. "State Rep. John Merrill announces he will run for Alabama secretary of state". AL.com. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
4. "Alabama secretary of state, auditor's races headed to runoffs". AL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
5. "Rep. John Merrill defeats Reese McKinney for Republican nomination for secretary of state". AL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
6. "Alabama Local News - al.com". al.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
7. "Former Alabama Secretary of State Jim Bennett has died". al. August 18, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
8. "John Merrill defeats Heather Milam to retain Alabama secretary of state post". The Montgomery Advertiser.
9. King, Bridget A.; Youngblood, Norman E. (May 29, 2016). "E-government in Alabama: An analysis of county voting and election website content, usability, accessibility, and mobile readiness". doi:10.1016/j.giq.2016.09.001. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
10. "Court Blocks Proof-Of-Citizenship Requirement For Voters In 3 States". NPR. September 10, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
11. "Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth". Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
12. Levitt, Justin (August 6, 2014). "A Comprehensive Investigation of Voter Impersonation Finds 31 Credible Incidents out of One Billion Ballots". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
13. Astor, Maggie (June 23, 2018). "Seven Ways Alabama Has Made It Harder to Vote". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
14. "SHELBY COUNTY, ALABAMA v. HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL, ET AL." (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. June 25, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
15. "SCOTUS Removes Critical Protection For Voters Of Color". Advancement Project. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
16. "What did Alabama's top election official learn from monitoring Russian election?". WHNT.com. September 29, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
17. Daugherty, Owen (July 16, 2019). "Alabama GOP senate candidate says 'homosexual activities' have ruined TV, country's moral core". The Hill. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
18. Fitzsimmons, Tim (July 17, 2019). "GOP official says fixation with 'homosexual activities' harming U.S. moral core". NBC News. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
19. "16 Jun 1985, Page 45 - The Anniston Star at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
20. "Biography | Alabama Secretary of State". www.sos.alabama.gov.

External links

• Profile at Vote Smart

Alabama House of Representatives
Preceded by Gerald Allen	Member of the Alabama House of Representatives from the 62nd district 2010–2014	Succeeded by Rich Wingo
Political offices
Preceded by James R. Bennett	Secretary of State of Alabama 2015–present	Incumbent