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Alabama Secretary of State election, 2026

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2022
Alabama Secretary of State
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General election
Election details
Filing deadline: January 23, 2026
Primary: May 19, 2026
Primary runoff: June 16, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Alabama
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2026
Impact of term limits in 2026
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
Alabama
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Auditor
Agriculture Commissioner
Treasurer
Public Service Commission (2 seats)
State Board of Education (4 seats)

Alabama is holding an election for secretary of state on November 3, 2026.

To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Alabama Secretary of State

Wayne Rogers, Caroleene Dobson, and Andrew Sorrell are running in the general election for Alabama Secretary of State on November 3, 2026.


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Candidate profiles

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Voting information

See also: Voting in Alabama

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.


Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.

2022

See also: Alabama Secretary of State election, 2022

General election

General election for Alabama Secretary of State

Wes Allen defeated Pamela Laffitte and Matt Shelby in the general election for Alabama Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Wes Allen
Wes Allen (R)
 
65.9
 
925,267
Image of Pamela Laffitte
Pamela Laffitte (D)
 
31.1
 
436,862
Image of Matt Shelby
Matt Shelby (L)
 
3.0
 
41,611
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
663

Total votes: 1,404,403
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Alabama Secretary of State

Wes Allen defeated Jim Zeigler in the Republican primary runoff for Alabama Secretary of State on June 21, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Wes Allen
Wes Allen
 
65.4
 
248,132
Image of Jim Zeigler
Jim Zeigler
 
34.6
 
131,413

Total votes: 379,545
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Pamela Laffitte advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama Secretary of State.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Alabama Secretary of State

Jim Zeigler and Wes Allen advanced to a runoff. They defeated Christian Horn and Ed Packard in the Republican primary for Alabama Secretary of State on May 24, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jim Zeigler
Jim Zeigler
 
42.7
 
237,482
Image of Wes Allen
Wes Allen
 
39.7
 
220,880
Image of Christian Horn
Christian Horn
 
9.8
 
54,572
Image of Ed Packard
Ed Packard Candidate Connection
 
7.8
 
43,486

Total votes: 556,420
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2018

See also: Alabama Secretary of State election, 2018

General election

General election for Alabama Secretary of State

Incumbent John Merrill defeated Heather Milam in the general election for Alabama Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Merrill
John Merrill (R)
 
61.0
 
1,032,425
Image of Heather Milam
Heather Milam (D)
 
38.9
 
658,537
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
1,064

Total votes: 1,692,026
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Alabama Secretary of State

Heather Milam defeated Lula Albert in the Democratic primary for Alabama Secretary of State on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Heather Milam
Heather Milam
 
63.7
 
161,062
Lula Albert
 
36.3
 
91,965

Total votes: 253,027
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Alabama Secretary of State

Incumbent John Merrill defeated Michael Johnson in the Republican primary for Alabama Secretary of State on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Merrill
John Merrill
 
71.6
 
335,852
Image of Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson
 
28.4
 
133,014

Total votes: 468,866
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2014

See also: Alabama secretary of state election, 2014
Secretary of State of Alabama, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJohn 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

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.


See also: Presidential voting trends in Alabama and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Alabama, 2026
District Incumbent PVI
Alabama's 1st Barry Moore R+27
Alabama's 2nd Shomari Figures D+5
Alabama's 3rd Mike Rogers R+23
Alabama's 4th Robert Aderholt R+33
Alabama's 5th Dale Strong R+15
Alabama's 6th Gary Palmer R+20
Alabama's 7th Terri Sewell D+13

2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines

2024 presidential results in congressional districts, Alabama
District Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
Alabama's 1st 22.0% 77.0%
Alabama's 2nd 54.0% 45.0%
Alabama's 3rd 26.0% 73.0%
Alabama's 4th 16.0% 83.0%
Alabama's 5th 35.0% 64.0%
Alabama's 6th 30.0% 69.0%
Alabama's 7th 61.0% 38.0%
Source: The Downballot

2016-2024

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2024 presidential election, 78.6% of Alabamians lived in one of the state's 54 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 21% lived in one of 12 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Alabama was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Alabama following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

Alabama presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 16 Democratic wins
  • 14 Republican wins
  • 2 other wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960[1] 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D D D D D D D D SR[2] D D D R AI[3] R D R R R R R R R R R R R R

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Alabama

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Alabama.

U.S. Senate election results in Alabama
Race Winner Runner up
2022 66.6%Republican Party 30.9%Democratic Party
2020 60.1%Republican Party 39.7%Democratic Party
2017 50.0%Democratic Party 48.3%Republican Party
2016 64.0%Republican Party 35.8%Democratic Party
2014 97.3%Republican Party 2.8%Grey.png (write-in)
Average 67.6 31.5

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Alabama

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Alabama.

Gubernatorial election results in Alabama
Race Winner Runner up
2022 66.9%Republican Party 29.2%Democratic Party
2018 59.5%Republican Party 40.4%Democratic Party
2014 63.6%Republican Party 36.2%Democratic Party
2010 57.9%Republican Party 42.1%Democratic Party
2006 57.5%Republican Party 41.6%Democratic Party
Average 61.1 37.9
See also: Party control of Alabama state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Alabama's congressional delegation as of September 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Alabama
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 2 2
Republican 2 5 7
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 7 9

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Alabama's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Alabama, October 2025
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Kay Ivey
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Will Ainsworth
Secretary of State Republican Party Wes Allen
Attorney General Republican Party Steve Marshall

State legislature

Alabama State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 8
     Republican Party 27
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 35

Alabama House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 29
     Republican Party 73
     Other 0
     Vacancies 3
Total 105

Trifecta control

Alabama Party Control: 1992-2025
Six years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R D D R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

The table below details demographic data in Alabama and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.

Demographic Data for Alabama
Alabama United States
Population 5,024,279 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 50,650 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 65.4% 63.4%
Black/African American 26.1% 12.4%
Asian 1.4% 5.8%
Native American 0.4% 0.9%
Pacific Islander 0.3% 0.4%
Other (single race) 2.1% 6.6%
Multiple 4.5% 10.7%
Hispanic/Latino 5.4% 19%
Education
High school graduation rate 88.1% 89.4%
College graduation rate 27.8% 35%
Income
Median household income $62,027 $78,538
Persons below poverty level 15.6% 12.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Secretary of State elections in 2026

There are 26 secretary of state seats on the ballot in 2026.

See also

Alabama State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Alabama State Executive Offices
Alabama State Legislature
Alabama Courts
2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Alabama elections: 2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. Although he was not on the ballot, Harry F. Byrd (D) won six unpledged electoral votes in Alabama's 1960 election against Richard Nixon (R) and Democratic Party nominee John F. Kennedy. Kennedy won Alabama's popular vote and received five electoral votes.
  2. States' Rights Democratic Party
  3. American Independent Party