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Alabama certifies Doug Jones winner of Senate election

By Susan McFarland and Danielle Haynes
Alabama's canvassing board certified Doug Jones as the state's new senator after a judge declined to block the process. Photo by Mark Wallheiser/UPI
1 of 2 | Alabama's canvassing board certified Doug Jones as the state's new senator after a judge declined to block the process. Photo by Mark Wallheiser/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Alabama's state canvassing board certified Doug Jones as the winner of the state's Senate race Thursday despite Roy Moore's lawsuit to block the process.

The board declared Jones to be the state's first Democratic senator in a quarter century after a Dec. 12 special election to fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Jones defeated Moore by 21,924 votes.

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"I am looking forward to going to work for the people of Alabama in the new year," Jones said in a statement. "As I said on election night, our victory marks a new chapter for our state and the nation. I will be an independent voice and work to find common ground with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get Washington back on track and fight to make our country a better place for all."

Earlier Thursday, Montgomery County Circuit Judge Johnny Hardwick denied Moore's request to block the certification, saying he does not have jurisdiction.

Citing election fraud, Moore filed a complaint Wednesday seeking a new special election or an investigation into voter fraud. Since the Dec. 12 vote, Moore has refused to concede.

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"The reported results were contrary to most of the impartial, independent polls conducted prior to the special election and in contrast to exit polls," the complaint read.

Moore's complaint included affidavits from three "national election integrity experts," who said election fraud did occur. Also included is a statement from Moore rebutting allegations of sexual misconduct made against him, saying they are "completely false" and that he successfully completed a polygraph test as proof.

The complaint says in Jefferson County, Ala., there were 20 precincts with discrepancies, which of itself is enough to reverse the election outcome. One of the experts said the possibility of the Jefferson County election outcome happening naturally is "less than one in 15 billion."

Also mentioned in the complaint are stories of people being bused into the state to vote for Jones and allegations of polling places accepting out-of-state IDs.

"During the course of the election there were multiple public outcries of election fraud, no less than three of which required the secretary of state to take action," it states.

The filing asked for a temporary restraining order to block certification, to order a new special election and to set an emergency hearing about the matter. It says Moore and the people of Alabama "will suffer irreparable harm if the election results are certified without preserving and investigating all the evidence of potential fraud."

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