The U.S. Department of Justice has initiated a lawsuit against the State of Alabama and its Secretary of State, Wes Allen, alleging the unlawful removal of voters from the state’s election rolls shortly before an upcoming federal election. Allen showed the audacity of taking noncitizens off of the voter rolls and Merrick Garland’s DOJ claims that this action violates the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
Central to the case is Alabama’s removal of voters who were issued noncitizen identification numbers, typically used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for tax purposes. These identification numbers are often assigned to undocumented immigrants and legal migrants to help them pay taxes or obtain driver’s licenses, writes The New York Post.
After being sworn into office in January, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen got to work to identify and remove 3,251 individuals who are registered to vote in Alabama who have been issued noncitizen identification numbers by the Department of Homeland Security.
“I have been clear that I will not tolerate the participation of noncitizens in our elections,” Allen previously said in a release. “I have even gone so far as to testify before a United States Senate Committee regarding the importance of this issue. We have examined the current voter file in an attempt to identify anyone who appears on that list that has been issued a noncitizen identification number.”
Now, the DOJ is pushing back and has filed a lawsuit against Alabama and Allen.
The agency argued that Allen violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), which requires states to complete any changes to the voter registration lists no later than 90 days before federal elections.
The Department of Justice says that Allen made the changes 84 days before the election.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division highlighted the gravity of the situation, saying, “The right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights in our democracy. As Election Day nears, it is crucial for Alabama to resolve the confusion caused by its unlawful voter list maintenance practices.”
The DOJ is seeking a court order to restore voting rights to those affected by the purge. They are also asking the state to send corrective mailings to affected voters and provide training for local election officials to prevent further errors in identifying eligible voters.
In response to the lawsuit, Allen remarked, “As Secretary of State, my duty is to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote in our elections.” However, he declined to comment further on the pending litigation.
The lawsuit is now moving forward, with both parties preparing to present their arguments in court regarding the legality and timing of Alabama’s voter roll changes.
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More proof our government doesn’t want Americans deciding what is right for America. Republicans aren’t perfect but they are 100 times more honest and pro America than democrats.
I didn’t think HSS was authorized to interfere in elections or issue ID’s. Sounds to me like they are the one’s that should be getting sued.
Want to rerun 2020
He must not have heard that TEXAS remove around a MILLION from our voter registration rolls. I’d guess that ‘might’ be enough to cause cardiac arrest (not that I wish that on anyone).