John Merrill is a busy man.
Alabama's Secretary of State is constantly on the road. Last year marked the fifth consecutive year Merrill visited all 67 Alabama counties on a total of 350 unique visits. His Friday morning visit to Franklin County constituted county number 32 for 2017. And he's not done yet educating Alabama citizens on the ease and convenience of registering to vote.
Even with Merrill's busy schedule, and rampant rumors of a gubernatorial bid next year, he remains accessible to the public. Don't believe it? Just call his cell phone and he'll tell you personally.
Merrill was a guest on Friday's Hutty and His Buddies morning talk show on WFMH-FM. He visited with host Tommy “Hutty” Hutcheson and fielded questions from the public. After an hour appearance on the radio, Merrill was off to Bibb County for a speaking engagement. But he took time on the road to speak with the Franklin Free Press to address a range of topics from electronic voter registration to Alabama's upcoming special election for U.S. Senate to his own political future.
“I am active in going across Alabama to help educate people on subjects like electronic poll books, changes in voter registration to where they can register electronically and the reduction in time to register a new business in Alabama from seven weeks to the same day,” Merrill said. “I will always have some saying I'm doing that for political reasons, and it can't be just because I'm trying to do a good job. But I work for the haters just like I work for the ones in Alabama who like me.
“I just do what I have to do and get things done for the people of this state,” Merrill added.
Merrill, whose wife Cindy Benford Merrill is a Phil Campbell native, is among the most discussed prospective candidates for several offices, from Jess Sessions' vacated U.S. Senate position to the governor's office.
“I can definitely say I will not be a candidate for U.S. Senate in this election cycle. As far as the governor's race is concerned, a lot of it depends on what path Gov. (Kay) Ivey chooses to take,” Merrill said. “She will determine who becomes an active candidate or not. If she chooses to seek a full term, that changes the dynamic of a lot of races, including lieutenant governor and attorney general.
“We want to make an informed decision to allow us to be in the position to serve the people of Alabama in the most effective way possible. I will wait and see what happens with our incumbent governor before making any decision.”?
Merrill's Secretary of State position is also up in 2018, meaning he would have to vacate a run for re-election in his office in order to seek the governor's mansion.
Ivey has called for a special election this year on the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Luther Strange. The primary will be in August, with a runoff set in late September and the general election set for December 12, 2017. Merrill continues to work to register as many Alabamians as possible to vote prior to the upcoming election year.
Voter registration can be done electronically online at the Secretary of State website www.alabamavotes.gov. Once the voter completes his online registration, a paperless form is submitted electronically to the Board of Registrars in the voter's home county.
Electronic poll books were used in 25 counties last year. The size of an i-Pad, the books reduce the time it takes voters to sign in at the polls. You present identification to the poll worker who scans it, pulls up your image, comparing it and your signature to what's on file. Once confirmed, the voter receives his ballot.
“It reduced waiting time between 65-70 percent and poll workers were able to process one voter every 27 seconds,” Merrill said.
Alabama now has more than 3.2 million registered voters thanks to the efforts of the Secretary of State's office. Additionally, Alabama is part of a 35-state interstate cross check system that allows officials to make sure a voter isn't registered in two states.
Merrill, who spent Thursday night with his in-laws, said it's always good to get back 'home' to Franklin County.
“I wasn't born there but I've been going to Franklin County the last 34 years,” Merrill said. “People in Franklin should know they have an advocate in Montgomery and all they have to do is call my cell whenever they want to and voice concerns about issues on their minds. They will receive attention as if they were calling their next door neighbor, assuming they like their next door neighbor.”
