Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey was missing in action for 10 days, and her office is being cagey about where she was and why.

And it’s not the first time.

Ivey ascended to governor’s office in 2017 following the resignation of scandal-ridden Robert Bentley, and soon began assembling a campaign to seek a full term in the 2018 election. Within a year of winning that race, Ivey quietly slipped out of public view, prompting the capital press corps to inquire of her whereabouts.

The governor’s office issued a statement saying Ivey was fine. Some time later, Ivey announced she’d been diagnosed with lung cancer. Three months after surgery, her doctors stated she was cancer-free.

Ivey, who turns 78 in October, had no public appearances between Aug. 2 and Aug. 11, and Goat Hill has been abuzz with conjecture about the governor’s health. Kyle Whitmire, a political reporter with al.com, wrote that he’d inquired about the governor repeatedly, getting no response from the governor’s office.

On Aug. 11, Ivey’s communications director Gina Maiola issued a statement to “set the record straight:”

“Governor Ivey is doing great,” Maiola said. On Friday, Aug. 12, Ivey surfaced to greet South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at the airport.

The people of Alabama need more than the same vague assurances that preceded an announcement of a cancer diagnosis three years ago. In less than three months, voters will go to the polls to choose between Ivey and two challengers to determine who will warm the governor’s seat for the next four years.

Before Alabama voters go to the polls, they deserve to know where Ivey was, why she was incommunicado, and whether she’s physically and mentally capable of fulfilling the duties of the governor’s office.