The Department of Justice sued the State of Alabama and its top elections official, alleging that they had removed from their voter rolls voters who had previously been issued noncitizen identification numbers too close to Election Day.
Noncitizen identification numbers are a tax processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to ensure that individuals, including undocumented immigrants, pay taxes. In addition to paying taxes, noncitizen identification numbers can allow legal immigrants to obtain a driver’s license and provide proof of residency.
After taking office in January, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen went to work to identify and remove 3,251 people registered to vote in Alabama who had been issued identification numbers by the Department of Homeland Security. non-citizens.
“I have been clear that I will not tolerate non-citizen participation in our elections,” Allen said previously. in a statement. “I have even testified before a United States Senate Committee on the importance of this issue. We have examined current voter records in an attempt to identify anyone on that list who has been issued a voter registration number. non-citizen identification.”
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Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen testifies during a hearing before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 12, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Now, the Department of Justice is responding 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 voter registration lists no later than 90 days before federal elections.
Allen implemented the changes 84 days earlier, the Justice Department alleged.
Signs directing voters are seen outside a polling place on March 5, 2024, in Mountain Brook, Alabama. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
“The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights of our democracy,” Deputy Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “As Election Day approaches, it is critical that Alabama correct voter confusion resulting from list maintenance mailings sent in violation of federal law.
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The Justice Department also alleged that Allen’s removal from voter registration also affected natural-born citizens who were incorrectly identified as potential noncitizens.
Department of Justice seals are seen during a news conference at the Department of Justice office in Washington, May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/José Luis Magaña)
The Justice Department is seeking injunctive relief that would “restore the ability of affected eligible voters to vote without hindrance on Election Day,” the department said in a statement.
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“The department is also pursuing corrective mailings to educate eligible voters about the restoration of their rights and proper training of local officials and poll workers to address confusion and distrust among eligible voters accused of being noncitizens,” the agency said.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, contacted for comment Saturday night, told Fox News Digital: “I was elected Secretary of State by the people of Alabama, and it is my constitutional duty to ensure that only citizens Americans vote in our elections.
“As for the question about the Justice Department’s lawsuit, this office does not comment on pending litigation in which the Secretary of State is a named defendant.”
