On Thursday, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen revealed that his office had removed thousands of potential non-citizens from the state's voter rolls as Republicans nationwide attempt to crack down on potential election integrity violations ahead of the November election. The move, which will impact 3,251 voters, has already faced stiff opposition from voting rights organziations.
Voters impacted by the decision, identified by cross-referencing non-citizen identification numbers from the Department of Homeland Security with the voter rolls, will receive a letter informing them that their voter registration is no longer active. While Alabama's top election official attempted to get the federal government's help by requesting a list of all non-citizens residing in the state, the federal government declined to assist. Secretary of State Allen explained that some of those being removed from the voter rolls are now naturalized citizens, and the process will allow those individuals to reregister to vote with the state.
"I have been clear that I will not tolerate the participation of non-citizens in our elections," Allen said in a statement. "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 non-citizen identification number."
"This is not a one-time review of our voter file. We will continue to conduct such reviews to do everything possible to make sure that everyone on our file is an eligible voter," he explained. "I am hopeful that in the near future, the federal government will change course and be helpful to states as we work to protect our elections."
In response to the move, Jonathan Diaz, the director of voting advocacy and partnerships for the Campaign Legal Center, argued to ABC News that Allen's move would actually undermine public confidence. "It's like using a bazooka to kill a cockroach," Diaz said. "You know, you get the cockroach, but you're going to cause a lot of collateral damage. And in this case, the collateral damage are eligible registered voters who are being flagged for removal from the rolls."
Secretary of State Allen's move to remove non-citizens from the state's voter rolls aligns with similar efforts nationwide from Republican officials trying to protect the integrity of the upcoming November election. Congressional Republicans have taken similar steps to restore Americans' faith in the electoral process, passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act earlier this year. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and passed through the House earlier this year, would prevent non-citizen voting in federal elections by requiring that voters show documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
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