In Alabama state auditor race, candidates highlight election administration

The two candidates vying to be Alabama state auditor are focused on a unique power of the office: its role in election administration.

Republican incumbent Andrew Sorrell, a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives, is seeking his second term as auditor. He faces Madison County Commissioner Violet Edwards, the Democratic nominee.

The Alabama state auditor is responsible for tracking and keeping inventory of property owned by the state and audits the financial records of the Alabama Department of Finance and the Treasurer’s Office.

But both Sorrell and Edwards highlighted its appointment power. The auditor, along with the governor and the commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, appoints members to county boards of registrars, who oversee voter registration and maintain voter rolls.

Sorrell said he will appoint people to the board of registrars who believe in election integrity.

“Our current registrars are doing a fantastic job of keeping the voter rolls clean, and getting the dead people off the voter rolls, and getting people who moved to other states off the voter rolls,” he said. “When you have bloated voter rolls, you have a recipe for election fraud.”

There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Alabama. The Heritage Foundation surveyed the incidents of voter fraud in Alabama and found 41 convictions or findings of voter fraud since 2000. During the 2024 election, 2.2 million ballots were cast.

Sorrell said he will ensure that people he appoints to the board of registrars believe in the importance of voting. He also speaks with them to determine if they believe in election security.

“I ask them, ‘Are you serious about election integrity? Are you going to make it a point of emphasis to keep the voter rolls clean?’” Sorrell said. “I make them promise me that they will.”

Edwards said she wants to expand opportunities for people to vote. As a member of the Madison County Commission, she said she worked with her colleagues to “set a standard” for the Board of Registrars, setting a schedule for the office and outlining the skill set needed for the job. She also said she supported SB 48, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, a 2025 law that increased pay for registrars.

“It was appealing because the auditor gets 66 appointments across the state of Alabama, and I know how important those appointments are when it comes to maintaining our voter rolls, deciding who has the right to vote, or who can re-earn the right to vote when it comes to people who have been rehabilitated,” she said. “It just made sense.”

Edwards said she wants to appoint people who will follow rules, keep offices open during the same hours as other county offices, and help protect people’s right to vote.

“Everybody is not using their voice,” she said. “As auditor, I have those appointments for the Board of Registrars. I have the power to appoint people who are willing to work, and who are not just trying to get a political appointment, who will go out and register people, who will keep these rolls clean. We won’t see the massive purging.”

Sorrell initially campaigned to be Secretary of State for this cycle but changed his mind during the qualifying period and opted to seek reelection.

“The race was not shaping up the way I hoped it would for Secretary of State, and I felt like I had a greater shot of getting reelected,” he said. “I made the tough decision to change back to the State Auditor’s race. It turned out very well.”

Edwards said she was recruited by Doug Jones, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee.

“We had a discussion about purpose and progress in Alabama, where we are now, where we wanted to be in the future for our children and future generations, and then we discussed my skillset,” Edwards said. “And here I am and going for it.”