Darral Bethel Seeks State and Federal Help in Suspicious Election Activity During August 25, 2026 Election and September 22, 2026 Runoff Election

From Darral Bethel

October 21, 2026

Bethel says his actions are grounded in his belief in democracy and his desire to strengthen democratic participation in the City of Bessemer and throughout Alabama. “Democracy only works when everyone plays by the rules,” Bethel said. He believes some citizens do not vote because they fear elections are rigged, and that exposing the truth through a fair, transparent examination of election procedures can restore public confidence and encourage more people to vote. His stated purpose is to promote democracy, accountability, and confidence in the electoral process.

BESSEMER, ALABAMA — Darral Bethel, a participant in the August 25, 2026 Bessemer mayoral election and plaintiff in Circuit Court Case No. CV-2026-82, is calling for an official investigation into several circumstances surrounding the municipal election, subsequent runoff, and related court proceedings.

Bethel maintains that the circumstances he observed deserve a complete investigation supported by official court documents, voting-machine records, absentee-ballot reports, and witness testimony.

Residency Challenge Involving All Four Mayoral Candidates

On August 26, 2026, Bethel filed a lawsuit requesting examination of the residency qualifications of all four mayoral candidates to ensure compliance with Alabama election law.

Bethel states that he personally monitored the Mayor’s residence. He also reports possessing photographs and videos from approximately 90 days leading up to the election that he believes support his challenge to Gulley’s residency.

Bethel seeks lawful examination of relevant cellular location records covering the 365 days before Gulley qualified for reelection. Such records could provide additional location evidence, although their significance would require examination and verification.

Court Proceedings and Delays

Bethel filed his lawsuit on August 26, 2026, and requested an expedited hearing. According to Bethel, Judge One transferred the case to Judge Two on September 2, 2026. Bethel states that he received no explanation for the seven days preceding the transfer or for the transfer itself.

Bethel reports that he was notified of the hearing date on September 9, and the hearing occurred on September 16, just six days before the runoff election. Bethel also questions the handling of the evidentiary burden during the hearing and requests examination of the official court record.

University of Alabama professor emerita of law Susan Pace Hamill, quoted by AL.com concerning the court ruling, explained that courts must evaluate the allegations contained in the pleadings and cannot construct a party’s case for them.

Bethel stresses that he is not claiming that Judge One, Judge Two, or any other judge committed wrongdoing. He is asking for an independent review to determine whether all required court procedures were followed, including assignment, transfer, service, notice, and scheduling procedures.

Bethel states that, in his experience, personnel in the Circuit Clerk’s Office repeatedly delayed his efforts to advance the case. He describes those interactions as attempts to delay him at every opportunity. This is Bethel’s account, and he requests examination of the case docket, correspondence, and service records to establish what occurred.

Bethel requests a review of the court’s procedural history, including judicial assignment records, service records, hearing notices, and orders.

August 18 Poll-Worker Training Communication

Bethel reports that on August 18, 2026, the Bessemer City Clerk contacted election participants and informed them that they could not attend poll-worker training. He requests examination of the communications, training attendance records, and applicable election procedures to determine the circumstances surrounding that decision.

August 25 Election Flash-Drive Incident

Bethel raises questions concerning an election flash drive reportedly placed inside a sealed election box following the August 25 municipal election. He states that the box remained inaccessible for approximately seven days and that, when the election information was subsequently retrieved, he was informed that only two additional votes were recorded.

Bethel requests examination of the original flash drive, machine tapes, chain-of-custody records, court authorization, and final election canvass to verify the sequence of events and exact vote totals.

September 22 Runoff Voting-Machine Observation

Bethel states that at approximately 4:00 p.m. on September 22, 2026, he observed the number 4,300 displayed on voting equipment when he arrived to cast his ballot. According to Bethel, he questioned a poll worker about the number and was told it represented the number of people expected to vote that day.

The publicly reported unofficial mayoral runoff results totaled 4,357 votes, with 2,376 for Louise Alexander and 1,981 for Kenneth Gulley. Bethel insists that the reported runoff vote total being higher than the August 25 regular-election total should itself raise questions, because he believes turnout is generally higher in regular elections than in runoffs. The comparison should be verified against official totals and does not, by itself, establish an irregularity. Bethel requests an official explanation of what the displayed number represented and whether the equipment’s opening and closing records reconcile with the reported totals.

Questions Concerning Absentee Ballots

Bethel states that 318 absentee ballots were counted during the regular August 25, 2026 election. According to Bethel’s account of a Channel 13 news article dated September 21, 2026, Louise Alexander was quoted as saying that absentee voting had increased from 318 in the regular election to 1,400 for the September 22 runoff election.

He requests an official comparison of absentee applications, ballots issued, ballots returned, ballots accepted, ballots rejected, and ballots counted in both elections. The reported figures must be verified against the original election records before any conclusion can be reached concerning a discrepancy.

Additional Residency Questions Involving City Council and School Board

Bethel also calls for verification of reports that two Bessemer City Council members and three school board members may reside outside Bessemer city limits. He has not identified these individuals or presented verified residency findings in this release. He requests that the appropriate authorities determine the individuals’ actual residences, the geographic residency requirements applicable to each office, and whether those requirements have been met. Residence outside city limits would affect eligibility only if it violates the requirements applicable to the particular office.

Subpoena Filings and Calls for Agency Review

Bethel states that he filed subpoenas seeking records from Bessemer Utilities and AT&T concerning former Mayor Kenneth Gulley and current Mayor Louise Alexander. He seeks examination of relevant utility and telephone records to help evaluate residency questions. Filing or requesting a subpoena does not by itself establish that the records have been produced or that any residency violation occurred.

“Transparency is a must in order to have a clear democracy,” Bethel states. He believes Jefferson County District Attorney Lynneice O. Washington, along with other appropriate law-enforcement and investigative agencies, should review these matters. Bethel says he should not have to lead the effort himself after bringing his concerns to officials’ attention.

Bethel states that he has notified local, state, and federal agencies about his concerns regarding Bessemer’s election process. He hopes those agencies are reviewing the information and taking appropriate steps, including work that may not yet be public, to safeguard election integrity and public confidence. He does not claim to have confirmation of any ongoing investigation.

Request for an Independent Investigation

Bethel requests that appropriate election officials and investigative authorities preserve and examine the election materials from both elections, including voting-machine tapes, electronic audit logs, absentee-ballot records, precinct returns, poll-worker statements, and chain-of-custody documentation.

He also seeks examination of the court’s handling of his residency lawsuit and the chronology of its scheduling. Bethel emphasizes that his purpose is to obtain an accurate accounting of what occurred and determine whether all applicable election laws and procedures were followed.

The concerns described in this release are requests for investigation and do not constitute official findings that election fraud or judicial misconduct occurred.

Issued by: Darral Bethel | Plaintiff/Affiant | Circuit Court Case No. CV-2026-82 | Jefferson County, Alabama — Bessemer Division

Editor’s note: the above has been published exactly as it was received by ALPolitics.com. As such, it does not reflect the views and opinions of ALPolitics.com. ALPolitics.com makes no claims nor assumes any responsibility for the information and opinions expressed above. No wrongdoing should be assumed from these reports, and any allegations are just that — allegations, until proven in a court of law.