The wild election for the open U.S. Senate seat in Alabama is not over yet.
Just 14 hours before the official certification of Democrat Doug Jones, Republican opponent Roy Moore filed a lawsuit to halt the process, claiming election “irregularities” and asked for an investigation into voter fraud.
Moore, plagued by accusations of sexual misconduct, lost the December 12 election to Jones by some 20,000 votes, though the judge never formally conceded the race.
“This is not a Republican or Democrat issue as election integrity should matter to everyone,” reads a statement from Moore, released on Wednesday.
“In the complaint, Moore’s attorneys noted the higher than expected turnout in the race, particularly in Jefferson County, and said that Moore’s numbers were suspiciously low in about 20 Jefferson County precincts,” reports The Associated Press.
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, a Republican, announced earlier this month that he had opened an investigation into voter fraud after a viral video showed a Jones supporter seemingly bragging about committing voter fraud.
But on Wednesday, Merrill told the AP that he does not foresee the certification of Jones, set for Thursday at 1 p.m., to be delayed.
“It is not going to delay certification and Doug Jones will be certified (Thursday) at 1 p.m. and he will be sworn in by Vice President Pence on the third of January,” he said.
Finding no such fraud thus far, Merrill vowed to investigate any accusations of fraud submitted by the judge.
In Alabama, voters must show their ID before casting their ballots.