Cullman City Council canvasses 2025 municipal election, accepts four provisional ballots

The Cullman City Council on Aug. 29 voted to canvass and certify the city's 2025 municipal election and acknowledged four provisional ballots that were accepted for counting.

Wes Moore, city clerk, told the council, "We have 4 provisional ballots that were accepted." The council then moved to canvass the election results and approved the motion by voice vote.

The council also approved a combined motion to adopt resolutions numbered items 2 through 9, described in the meeting as the individual resolutions for each person who won seats on the council and the school board. The council president said the group vote combined all those certificates into a single action; the council approved the consolidated motion by voice vote.

Moore said the provisional ballots are counted one week after the election and that, when the council considers certificates later, the clerk's office will record them with the probate judge and forward copies to the Alabama Secretary of State so the results become official. Certificates and ceremonial plaques for winners will be available next week, Moore said.

Council members and staff noted how provisional ballots can be decisive. The presiding officer referenced a recent nearby municipal contest decided by a single vote and said provisional ballots and recount procedures can determine tight outcomes.

No roll-call vote totals or individual vote counts were announced for the canvass or the grouped resolutions during the meeting; the council approved the actions by unanimous voice vote with no recorded dissents.

The council invited anyone who wanted a copy of the provisional ballots or the tally shown during the meeting to see "Wes Moore in the city clerk's office" after the meeting.

The council completed the canvass and certification during the Aug. 29 meeting and directed staff to complete the administrative recordings required to make results official.