MONTGOMERY — A Republican state lawmaker and former probate judge from Troy wants to be Alabama’s top election official.

State Rep. Wes Allen announced his campaign for the Republican nomination for secretary of state on Thursday. He has served in the Alabama House of Representatives since 2018 and before that as Pike County Probate Judge for nearly a decade.

Allen says that experience qualifies him for the statewide role.

“My entire career has prepared me for this position. As a probate judge, I ran 18 elections without a single error or problem,” Allen said during an announcement at the State House. “It is that type of error-free elections that our probate judges, circuit clerks, absentee election managers, boards of registrars, sheriffs and poll workers strive to achieve over and over. It is that standard that the people of Alabama deserve every time they go to cast their ballots.”

During his time in the Legislature, Allen has served as vice-chair of the House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee and has sponsored several election-related bills, including a proposed ban on curbside voting which has yet to get final passage in the Senate.

“I have been on the ground on Election Day and I understand the mechanics of how elections work” Allen said. “I will be there to support hardworking election officials across this state, both Republican and Democrat, to do everything possible to assist them and to ensure that we have the most secure elections in this country. I want every legal Alabama voter to know that their vote is important, it matters, and it will be protected.”

This is the first campaign announcement for a candidate seeking the Secretary of State’s Office. Current Secretary John Merrill, who is term limited, announced last month that he would not be seeking elected office in 2022.

The Republican primary election is scheduled for May 2022 and the general election is in November 2022.