Wes Allen

Wes Allen

Republican Party

Candidate, Lieutenant Governor of Alabama

Alabama Secretary of State

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

John Merrill

Prior offices

Pike County Probate Court

---

Alabama House of Representatives District 89

Successor: Marcus Paramore

---

Report an officeholder change

Compensation

Base salary

$67,296

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Graduate

Troy University, 2001

Personal

Profession

Judge

Contact

Official website

Official Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Wes Allen (Republican Party) is the Alabama Secretary of State. He assumed office on January 16, 2023. His current term ends on January 18, 2027.

Allen (Republican Party) is running for election for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Allen was a judge of the Pike County Probate Court in Alabama. Governor Bob Riley (R) appointed Allen on April 2, 2009, to serve the unexpired term of retired Judge William Stone.

Biography

Allen earned an undergraduate degree in 1998 from the University of Alabama and a graduate degree from Troy University in 2001. His career experience includes serving as a probate judge with Pike County.

Political career

Below is a list of offices within Ballotpedia’s scope. Offices outside of that scope will not be listed. If an update is needed and the office is within our scope, please contact us.

Allen's political career includes the following offices:

• 2023-present: Alabama Secretary of State
• 2018-2022: Alabama House of Representatives District 89
• 2009-2018: Pike County Probate Court

Elections

2026

See also: Alabama lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026

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 Lieutenant Governor of Alabama

The following candidates are running in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Wes Allen (R)
		Patrick Bishop (R)
		George Childress (R)
		Dean Odle (R)
		Rick Pate (R)
		Nicole Wadsworth (R)

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

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

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,404,403
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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
✔		Wes Allen	65.4	248,132
		Jim Zeigler	34.6	131,413

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 379,545
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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
✔		Jim Zeigler	42.7	237,482
✔		Wes Allen	39.7	220,880
		Christian Horn	9.8	54,572
		Ed Packard	7.8	43,486

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 556,420
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Laura Clark (R)

2018

See also: Alabama House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Alabama House of Representatives District 89

Wes Allen defeated Joel Lee Williams in the general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 89 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wes Allen (R)	59.3	7,804
	Submit photo	Joel Lee Williams (D)	40.6	5,348
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	12

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,164 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 89

Joel Lee Williams advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 89 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Joel Lee Williams

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 89

Wes Allen defeated Marcus Paramore in the Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 89 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wes Allen	67.7	4,282
		Marcus Paramore	32.3	2,040

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 6,322
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Wes Allen has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Wes Allen, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 22,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

Help improve Ballotpedia - send us candidate contact info.

2022

Wes Allen did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Allen's campaign website stated the following:

“	Elections Alabama was recently recognized as having the most secure elections in the country and we must keep it that way. We can not allow mail-in voting, no excuse absentee ballots, early voting and other schemes that we have seen cause chaos and confusion in other states. The Alabama Secretary of State in the senior official in charge of the administration of our elections. As the Probate Judge of Pike County for nearly a decade, I ran 18 elections and all were free of error, chaos or confusion. I will take that experience to the Office of Secretary of State to ensure that our elections are safe and secure. I will work closely with the Probate Judges, Sheriffs, Circuit Clerks, and members of the Boards of Registrars to guarantee that each of them have everything they need to make sure that every election is run free of error and that only those US citizens who are legally able to vote are allowed to cast ballots in our elections. Curbside Voting As a member of the Alabama House of Representatives, I was proud to sponsor the bill that bans curbside voting in Alabama. Governor Ivey has now signed my bill into law which means that curbside voting is officially illegal in any election held in our state. This legislation was critical to maintaining the security of the chain of custody of ballots and to help protect the fabric of our democracy. No Excuse Absentee Voting I am absolutely and unapologetically opposed to no-excuse absentee voting. Our absentee voting process in Alabama works well and changing it to allow for the addition of no-excuse absentee voting will create a myriad of potential problems including: Increasing the potential for absentee voter fraud Placing an unreasonable burden on Circuit Clerks and Absentee Election Managers in all 67 counties Increasing the cost of administering elections by hundreds of thousands of dollars Early Voting Early voting is a problematic, expensive and unnecessary system to put into place in Alabama. If you have legitimate reason for not being able to vote on Election Day, our absentee voting system that we already have in place is available for you to cast you ballot. Adding early voting will add a layer of potential fraud to our elections that is expensive and places an undue and unmanageable burden on our election system. Alabama has secure elections and I will not support adding the chaos and confusion that comes with early voting. Mass Mailed Ballots The idea that we should mass mail blank election ballots to mailboxes all over the state is absolutely absurd. I will always oppose any proposal that would interfere with the integrity of the chain of custody of ballots. Voter ID Every voter should present a valid photo ID in order to vote. In Alabama, you can obtain a photo ID card free of charge for the purpose of voting. If you are unable to physically go to a courthouse or other location offering photo IDs, the Secretary of State’s office will send someone to your home to take your photo and create an ID and this service is free of charge. Life Life begins at conception and every life is precious. I am, and have always been, pro-life and I believe that abortion is murder. 2nd Amendment I am a gun owner and the 2nd Amendment protects my right to own guns. The Constitution protects the American people’s right to keep and bear arms and I will never support giving up any of my Constitutional rights for any reason. Restrictive gun laws do not work as they only harm the ability of law abiding citizens to protect themselves. As we have seen in places like Chicago, which have some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country, these attempt to limit the ability of citizens to protect themselves against criminals who want to harm them only results in high murder rates and spiraling crime problems.	”
—Wes Allen's campaign website (2022)

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Wes Allen campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Alabama Secretary of State	Won general	$867,755	$822,232
2018	Alabama House of Representatives District 89	Won general	$214,794	N/A**
Grand total			$1,082,549	$822,232
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

State legislative tenure

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2021-2022

Allen was assigned to the following committees:

• Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee, Vice Chair
• Urban and Rural Development Committee
• House Judiciary Committee

2019-2020

Allen was assigned to the following committees:

• Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee
• House Judiciary Committee
• Urban and Rural Development Committee

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Alabama

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Alabama scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2022

In 2022, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from January 11 to April 7.

• Alabama Policy Institute

Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform.

• National Federation of Independent Business

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].
In 2021, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from February 2 to May 17. Alabama Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].
In 2020, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from February 4 to May 18. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].
In 2019, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from March 5 through May 31. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Officeholder

Alabama Secretary of State

Website

Twitter

Personal

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by John Merrill (R)	Alabama Secretary of State 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Alabama House of Representatives District 89 2018-2022	Succeeded by Marcus Paramore (R)
Preceded by -	Pike County Probate Court 2009-2018	Succeeded by -

2026 state executive official elections

Governor

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Vermont • U.S. Virgin Islands • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Lieutenant Governor

Alabama • Alaska • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • New York • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Vermont • U.S. Virgin Islands • Wisconsin

Attorney General

Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • New York • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Vermont • Wisconsin

Secretary of State

Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Georgia • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • North Dakota • Ohio • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Vermont • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Treasurer

Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Massachusetts • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • Ohio • Oklahoma • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Vermont • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Auditor

Alabama • Arkansas • Delaware • Iowa • Massachusetts • Minnesota • Missouri • Nebraska • New Mexico • Ohio • Oklahoma • South Dakota • Vermont • Wyoming

Comptroller

California • Connecticut • Idaho • Illinois • Maryland • Nevada • New York • South Carolina • Texas

Education officials

Alabama (board of education) • Arizona (superintendent) • California (superintendent) • Colorado (board of education) • Colorado (board of regent) • District of Columbia (board of education) • Georgia (superintendent) • Guam (education board) • Idaho (superintendent) • Kansas (board of education) • Michigan (board of education) • Michigan (board of regent) • Michigan (board of trustees) • Michigan (board of governors) • Nebraska (board of education) • Nebraska (board of regents) • Nevada (board of regents) • New Mexico (board of education) • Northern Mariana Islands (board of education) • Ohio (board of education) • Oklahoma (superintendent) • South Carolina (superintendent) • Texas (board of education) • Utah (board of education) • U.S. Virgin Islands (board of education) • Wyoming (superintendent)

Commissioners

Alabama (agriculture) • Alabama (public service) • Arizona (corporation) • Arizona (mine inspector) • Arkansas (public lands) • California (board of equalization) • California (insurance) • Florida (agriculture) • Georgia (agriculture) • Georgia (labor) • Georgia (insurance) • Georgia (public service) • Guam (utilities) • Hawaii (Hawaiian affairs) • Iowa (agriculture) • Kansas (insurance) • Louisiana (public service) • Massachusetts (governor's council) • Montana (public service) • Nebraska (public service) • New Hampshire (executive council) • New Mexico (public lands) • North Dakota (agriculture) • North Dakota (public service) • North Dakota (tax) • Oklahoma (corporation) • Oklahoma (insurance) • Oklahoma (labor) • Oregon (labor) • South Carolina (agriculture) • South Dakota (public lands) • South Dakota (public utilities) • Texas (agriculture) • Texas (public lands) • Texas (railroad)