An Auburn alumnus announced Monday night that he is running for secretary of state as a Republican in 2022.
Ed Packard, a two-time Auburn graduate and 24-year employee of the Alabama secretary of state’s office, has served as administrator of elections since 2017. Packard said he hopes to ensure the credibility of Alabama’s elections as the state’s chief election official.
“Alabama’s voters expect and are due the ability to vote in elections that are free and fair,“ Packard said in a statement. “Alabamians should not have to be concerned about whether our elections have integrity and credibility. We election administrators should faithfully implement the rules by which elections are held."
In his announcement, Packard, 53, proposed implementing post-election audits for all elections in Alabama. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Alabama is one of six states that does not require post-election audits of any type.
The call for post-election audits gained momentum following allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, even as numerous investigations have shown no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
Packard said he supports Alabama’s requirement that voters show photo identification to cast a ballot.
Packard also said he supports allowing voters with certain disabilities to return ballots online. Members of the military and overseas voters can currently vote online, but expanding Internet voting to a wider population would require action from the Alabama legislature.
Packard previously ran for secretary of state in 2006 as a Democrat, losing to incumbent Nancy Worley in the Democratic primary.
After Worley solicited campaign contributions from her employees in the secretary of state’s office, Packard filed a complaint against his former boss with the Alabama attorney general. Worley was indicted by a grand jury in 2007 for five misdemeanor charges and one felony charge, which was later dropped.
Packard previously led the office’s elections division, working as the state election director from 2013-2017.
In 2016, nearly 3 million ballots had to be reprinted for the November election to add language that was omitted from an amendment to the Alabama constitution, costing the Alabama secretary of state's office $459,690.80. Secretary of State John Merrill subsequently demoted Packard in 2017.
Packard said he still has a high reputation among his coworkers and others involved in the elections process and has not “sensed any issue with people being concerned” about his ability to do his job.
“I really believe in the saying that it's not always the error that's important. It's how you fix it, and how you deal with it," Packard said.
Packard earned a bachelor of arts in public administration from Auburn University in 1991 and a master’s in public administration from Auburn in 1994. He went on to work for the University for two years before beginning a short stint as an education and training specialist with the State Board of Elections in North Carolina from 1996-1997.
Merrill is term-limited from seeking reelection in 2022. As of publication, Rep. Wes Allen, R-Troy, is the only other candidate vying for the Republican nomination.
The Alabama Republican Party primary is set for May 24, 2022.
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Evan Mealins, senior in philosophy and economics, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.
