Current:Home > ContactJustice Department sues Alabama saying state is purging voter rolls too close to election-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Justice Department sues Alabama saying state is purging voter rolls too close to election
lotradecoin staking View Date:2024-12-25 21:15:18
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Friday against Alabama and its top election official, accusing the state of illegally purging people from voter rolls too close to the November election.
Federal officials said the purge violates the “quiet period provision” of the National Voter Registration Act that prohibits the systemic removal of names from voter rolls 90 days before a federal election.
Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen in August announced an initiative “to remove noncitizens registered to vote in Alabama.” More than 3,000 people who had been previously issued noncitizen identification numbers will have their voter registration status made inactive and flagged for possible removal from the voter rolls. The Justice Department said both native-born and naturalized U.S. citizens, who are eligible to vote, received the letters saying their voting status was being made inactive.
“The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights in our democracy,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who heads the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement. “As Election Day approaches, it is critical that Alabama redress voter confusion resulting from its list maintenance mailings sent in violation of federal law.”
The lawsuit asks for injunctive relief that would restore the ability of impacted eligible voters to vote on Nov. 5.
“I was elected secretary of state by the people of Alabama, and it is my constitutional duty to ensure that only American citizens vote in our elections,” Allen said in a statement issued Friday night. He said he could not comment on pending litigation.
Allen in August acknowledged the possibility that some of the people identified had become naturalized citizens since receiving their noncitizen number. He said they would need to update their information on a state voter registration form and would be able to vote after it was verified.
The Campaign Legal Center, Fair Elections Center and Southern Poverty Law Center earlier this month filed a lawsuit also challenging the voter roll purge, They said the state purge targets naturalized citizens who once had noncitizen identification numbers before gaining citizenship.
The plaintiffs in that lawsuit include two U.S. citizens who received letters telling them they were being moved to inactive voter registration status because of the purge. One is man born in the Netherlands who became a U.S citizen in 2022. The other is a U.S.-born citizen.
veryGood! (13)
Related
- 'Truffles is just like me:' How a Pennsylvania cat makes kids feel proud to wear glasses
- Steve Scalise announces he has very treatable blood cancer
- Teachers go on strike in southwest Washington state over class sizes
- 'Don't poke' Aaron Rodgers, NFL cutdown day, Broadway recs and other 'Hard Knocks' lessons
- Usher Cancels Atlanta Concert Hours Before Show to Rest and Heal
- Lolita the whale's remains to be returned to Pacific Northwest following necropsy
- Two fans arrested after rushing Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuña Jr. at Coors Field
- Mother of Spanish Soccer President Goes on Hunger Strike Amid Controversy Over World Cup Kiss
- Wisconsin’s Evers urges federal judge not to make changes at youth prison in wake of counselor death
- Hurricane Idalia tracker: See the latest landfall map
Ranking
- Stuffed or real? Photos show groundhog stuck inside claw machine
- Much of Florida's Gulf Coast is under an evacuation order – and a king tide could make flooding worse
- Trump's scheduled trial dates and where they fall in the presidential primary calendar
- Dozens dead from Maui wildfires: What we know about the victims
- Walmart boosts its outlook for 2024 with bargains proving a powerful lure for the inflation weary
- Trump, other defendants to be arraigned next week in Georgia election case
- TikTok has a new viral drama: Why we can't look away from the DIY craft controversy
- Police Find Teen Mom Star Jenelle Evans' Son Jace After He Goes Missing Again
Recommendation
-
White House says deals struck to cut prices of popular Medicare drugs that cost $50 billion yearly
-
Top CEOs call on Biden administration to address migrant influx in New York
-
Wagner Group leader killed in plane crash buried in private funeral
-
Trump's 4 indictments in detail: A quick-look guide to charges, trial dates and key players for each case
-
US Army intelligence analyst pleads guilty to selling military secrets to China
-
See Khloe Kardashian's Adorable Photos of Daughter True Thompson on First Day of Kindergarten
-
Timeline: Special counsel's probe into Trump's handling of classified documents
-
Why Miley Cyrus Says Her and Liam Hemsworth’s Former Malibu Home Had “So Much Magic to It”