A decision by a federal judge in Alabama might impact thousands of voters in the upcoming election. U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco ordered a preliminary injunction against a voter purge program undertaken by Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, R.
The Justice Department and civil rights organizations sued Allen, alleging that the scheme violated a provision that prohibits widespread removal of names from voter records 90 days before a federal election. In August, the secretary of state’s office found 3,251 suspected noncitizens who had registered to vote.
The office used data from state agencies on both unemployment benefits and driver’s license applicants. Allen then instructed local election offices to designate those voters inactive, requiring the individual to produce additional documentation before voting.
According to Clay Helms, chief of staff for the Secretary of State, 2,000 of the voters were lawfully registered citizens.
Alabama’s attorney general also received the inactive list for potential criminal charges. The judge stated that this could result in irreparable injury to innocent voters. According to a lawyer for the secretary of state’s office, the removal will only cause minor difficulties for lawfully registered voters.
