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John Merrill (Republican Party) is the Alabama Secretary of State. He assumed office on January 19, 2015. His current term ends on January 16, 2023.
Merrill (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Alabama. He withdrew before the Republican primary on March 3, 2020.
Merrill is a former Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives who represented District 62 from 2010 to 2014. Merrill served as the chairman of the state Republican Party in 2009, and he became a member for the state Republican Executive Committee the same year.
Merrill was born on November 12, 1963. He earned his B.A. in history and political science from the University of Alabama in 1990. Merrill was a governmental affairs intern for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama from 1987 to 1988. He then worked for Randall Publishing Company as a national account executive from 1988 to 1990. From 1990 to 1993, he was the assistant director of the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Authority. Merrill worked for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama as director of business development from 1993 to 1994. He was the director of community relations and community education for the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education from 1994 to 2014.
Former Member, Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Economic Development and Tourism Committee, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Rules Committee, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Consent Calendars, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Constitutional Issues, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Economic Development and Incentives, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Tuscaloosa County Legislation Committee, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Economic Development and Tourism Committee, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Rules Committee, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Consent Calendars, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Constitutional Issues, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Economic Development and Incentives, Alabama State House of Representatives
Former Member, Tuscaloosa County Legislation Committee, Alabama State House of Representatives
— Awards:
Spouse's Occupation:
Principal at Westwood Elementary School
1. Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life?
- Pro-life
2. Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy?
- No
3. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- No
4. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- No
5. Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes
6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes
7. Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods?
- Yes
8. Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs?
- No
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Education (higher)
- Maintain Status
2. Education (K-12)
- Maintain Status
3. Environment
- Maintain Status
4. Health care
- Maintain Status
5. Law enforcement
- Maintain Status
6. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Maintain Status
7. Welfare
- Maintain Status
8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status
2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
3. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status
4. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status
5. Property taxes
- Maintain Status
6. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status
7. Sales taxes (grocery)
- Maintain Status
8. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Maintain Status
9. Income taxes (middle-income families)
- Maintain Status
10. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Maintain Status
11. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Tapping into Alabama's "rainy day" fund
- No
2. Regulating and taxing gaming proceeds
- Yes
3. Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders
- No
4. Increasing tuition rates at public universities
- No
5. Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees
- No
6. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No
7. Privatizing certain government services
- No
8. Other or expanded principles
- C) If gaming is determined to be legal
1. Individual
- No
2. Political Action Committee
- No
3. Corporate
- No
4. Political Party
- No
5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- No
6. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes
7. Should the Alabama Ethics Commission have the power of subpoena?
- Yes
8. Should current elected officials be prohibited from holding additional state jobs?
- No
9. Should Alabama hold a constitutional convention to rewrite the state constitution?
- No
10. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes
2. Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?
- Yes
3. Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized?
- No
4. Do you support increasing penalties for illegal cockfighting?
- No
5. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- Yes
6. Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges?
- Yes
7. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- Yes
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- Yes
2. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- Yes
3. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- Yes
4. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes
5. Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes
6. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- No
7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support national education standards?
- Yes
2. Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams?
- Yes
3. Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers?
- No Answer
4. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No Answer
5. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- No
6. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Alabama high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No
7. Other or expanded principles
- C) There should be a pre-test and post-test administered in order to rate meritD) Education Trust Fund money should not be used to support charter schools
1. Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy?
- No
2. Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- No
3. Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops?
- Yes
4. Do you support state funding for improvements to Alabama's energy infrastructure?
- No Answer
5. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- Yes
6. Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change?
- No
7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No
2. Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No
3. Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns?
- Yes
4. Do you support requiring a license for gun possession?
- No
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- No
2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- Yes
3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- Yes
4. Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance?
- No
5. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- No
6. Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Alabama?
- No
7. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- No
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Should marriage only be between one man and one woman?
- Yes
2. Should Alabama allow same-sex couples to form civil unions?
- No
3. Do you support state funding for stem cell research?
- Yes
4. Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research?
- Yes
5. Do you support the state's use of affirmative action?
- No
6. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Alabama's anti-discrimination laws?
- No
7. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Alabama's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- 1) Economic development, 2) Improving the local economy, 3) Ethics reform, 4) Accountability & transparency in government, 5) Education
United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)
United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)
Tommy Tuberville defeated incumbent Doug Jones and Marty Preston Hatley in the general election for U.S. Senate Alabama on November 3, 2020.
|
|
Tommy Tuberville (R) |
60.1%
|
1,392,076 Votes✔ |
|
|
Doug Jones (D) |
39.7%
|
920,478 Votes |
| Other/Write-in votes |
0.2%
|
3,891 Votes |
Total votes: 2,316,445
Tommy Tuberville defeated Jeff Sessions in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Alabama on July 14, 2020.
|
|
Tommy Tuberville |
60.7%
|
333,890 Votes✔ |
|
|
Jeff Sessions |
39.3%
|
215,831 Votes |
Total votes: 549,721
(100.00% precincts reporting)
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Doug Jones advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Alabama.
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Alabama on March 3, 2020.
|
|
Tommy Tuberville |
33.4%
|
239,616 Votes✔ |
|
|
Jeff Sessions |
31.6%
|
227,088 Votes✔ |
|
|
Bradley Byrne |
24.9%
|
178,627 Votes |
|
|
Roy Moore |
7.2%
|
51,377 Votes |
|
|
Ruth Page Nelson |
1.0%
|
7,200 Votes |
|
|
Arnold Mooney |
1.0%
|
7,149 Votes |
|
|
Stanley Adair |
0.9%
|
6,608 Votes |
Total votes: 717,665
Incumbent John Merrill defeated Heather Milam in the general election for Alabama Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.
|
|
John Merrill (R) |
61.0%
|
1,032,425 Votes✔ |
|
|
Heather Milam (D) |
38.9%
|
658,537 Votes |
| Other/Write-in votes |
0.1%
|
1,064 Votes |
Total votes: 1,692,026
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Heather Milam defeated Lula Albert in the Democratic primary for Alabama Secretary of State on June 5, 2018.
|
|
Heather Milam |
63.7%
|
161,062 Votes✔ |
|
|
Lula Albert |
36.3%
|
91,965 Votes |
Total votes: 253,027
Incumbent John Merrill defeated Michael Johnson in the Republican primary for Alabama Secretary of State on June 5, 2018.
|
|
John Merrill |
71.6%
|
335,852 Votes✔ |
|
|
Michael Johnson |
28.4%
|
133,014 Votes |
Total votes: 468,866
Merrill ran for the open seat of Alabama Secretary of State. The previous incumbent, Jim Bennett (R), was appointed to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of previous officeholder Beth Chapman, and was not running for a full term in 2014.
Merrill won the Republican nomination in the primary runoff on July 15, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Alabama Secretary of State, Republican Primary Runoff, 2014
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 John Merrill |
53.1% | 108,740 | ||
| Reese McKinney | 46.9% | 95,877 | ||
| Total Votes | 204,617 | |||
| Election results via Alabama Secretary of State. | ||||
Alabama Secretary of State Republican Primary, 2014
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Merrill |
39.6% | 143,960 | ||
| Reese McKinney |
38.4% | 139,763 | ||
| James Perdue | 22% | 80,050 | ||
| Total Votes | 363,773 | |||
| Election results via Alabama Secretary of State. | ||||
Secretary of State of Alabama, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Merrill |
64.3% | 733,298 |
| Democratic | Lula Albert-Kaigler | 35.6% | 406,373 |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.1% | 1,271 |
| Total Votes | 1,140,942 | ||
| Election results via Alabama Secretary of State | |||
Merrill defeated Jerry Tingle in the June 1 primary. He then defeated Constitution Party candidate Steven Kneussle in the November 2 general election.
Alabama House of Representatives, District 62 General Election (2010)
| Candidates | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| John Merrill (R)
|
11,658 | |
| Steven Kneussle (C) | 1,694 | |
Alabama House of Representatives, District 62 Republican Primary (2010)
| Candidates | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| John Merrill (R)
|
3,262 | |
| Jerry Tingle (R) | 2,551 | |
In November 2011, Alabama enacted a voter ID law that required all voters to have an acceptable form of photo ID in order to vote beginning in 2014. On September 30, 2015, Merrill announced that 31 Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices would be closed in Alabama due to budget cuts. Opponents of Alabama's voter ID law said that the DMV office closures were unacceptable because they disproportionately affected black residents. Critics also alleged that every county in which black citizens made up more than 75 percent of the population would have its DMV office closed. Merrill responded to this criticism by stating that the decision of which offices to close was due to a rural-urban divide and was not related to race. Merrill also said that citizens did not need a driver's license to vote. Instead, citizens could obtain a free photo ID designed to meet the requirements of the new law. Each county in Alabama had at least one office that was able to issue these IDs. Civil rights activists argued that this was insufficient because some of the offices that issued these voter IDs were in areas inaccessible to people who relied on public transportation. According to Talking Points Memo, of the nearly 250,000 voters who did not have one of the forms of ID necessary to vote under the 2011 law, 5,294 received a free ID in 2014. Jesse Jackson referred to the situation as "a new Jim Crow" and stated that it was intended to prevent black residents from voting. In response to the accusation that the state had not done enough to prevent disenfranchisement, Merrill said, "You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink... The fact that people don’t get them, that’s not our fault.” Merrill said in December 2017 that the 2016 election had the highest voter turnout in state history. He also said 2017 had a $389,000 budget for election awareness efforts and that the state's new Vote for Alabama mobile app made it easier to register to vote. In response to Merrill's statement, Jonathan Brater of the Brennan Center for Justice said, "Even if turnout is up overall, it doesn't mean that for certain racial or economic sub-groups that it hasn't been more difficult for them to turn out." The NAACP sued the state government in 2015 on the basis that the voter ID law had violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In January 2018, U.S. District Judge Scott Coogler dismissed the lawsuit. He wrote, "...a person who does not have a photo ID today is not prevented from voting if he or she can easily get one, and it is so easy to get a photo ID in Alabama, no one is prevented from voting."
On June 29, 2017, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which had been created by President Donald Trump on May 11, requested information on registered voters from all 50 states dating back to 2006. The states were given until July 14 to respond. On June 30, Secretary Merrill announced that the state would provide only publicly available information to the commission. “ The information that has been requested by the commission, which is already publicly available for purchase from the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, will be used to improve voter roll integrity. The Secretary of State’s Office will comply with the request if we are convinced that the overall effort will produce the necessary results to accomplish the Commission’s stated goal without compromising the integrity of the voter rolls and the elections process in Alabama. ” —Secretary John Merrill
