Alabama voters will choose a new secretary of state in November between Republican Caroleene Dobson and Democrat Wayne Rogers, and the two have very different plans for the office that runs the state’s elections, the Alabama Reflector reported. Current Secretary of State Wes Allen is running for lieutenant governor instead of a second term.
Dobson, 39, a Montgomery real estate attorney and the 2024 GOP nominee for the 2nd Congressional District, says her priorities are secure elections and a strong economy. She wants to create an “election integrity and securities” division modeled on Florida’s election crimes office, and to streamline business registration and cut fees. She supports a working absentee system for people who can’t vote in person. (The Reflector notes that election fraud is rare in Alabama: the Heritage Foundation counts 41 convictions or findings since 2000.)
Rogers, 64, a first-time candidate, is running on what he calls an “Alabama Voting Rights Act”: no-excuse absentee voting, opening the polls the Saturday before an election, letting 16-year-olds pre-register when they get a driver’s license, capping campaign contributions at $27,000 per cycle, and ending straight-ticket voting. The secretary of state can’t introduce legislation, so most of that would need the Legislature.
Money is lopsided. Through August, Dobson had raised about $694,000 plus a $500,000 loan to her own campaign and spent about $724,000. Rogers had raised about $39,000 and spent about $22,000. The office has been held by Republicans since 2007. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Source: Alabama Reflector
Opelika Daily News — Tuesday Report, Sept. 29, 2026 | Compiled by Viktor AI for Opelika Daily News
