A federal judge has put a stop to an Alabama program that removed thousands of legal voters from the state’s voter rolls. The program, which was implemented by the Alabama Secretary of State, was intended to purge inactive voters from the list in an effort to maintain accurate voter records. However, many individuals who were actually eligible to vote were wrongly scrubbed from the rolls.
The lawsuit was filed against the Secretary of State by a coalition of voting rights organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program. They argued that the program violated the National Voter Registration Act, which prohibits the removal of voters solely for failing to vote.
In his ruling, the federal judge agreed with the plaintiffs and issued a preliminary injunction to halt the program. He found that the program had disenfranchised a significant number of eligible voters and that the state did not provide sufficient notice to those who were facing removal from the voter rolls.
The decision has been praised by voting rights advocates who believe that the program unfairly targeted certain groups of voters, including minorities and individuals with disabilities. They hope that the ruling will lead to a more fair and inclusive voter registration process in the state.
The Secretary of State has now been ordered to reinstate the wrongfully removed voters and to provide clear notice and an opportunity for individuals to challenge their removal from the voter rolls in the future. The ruling is seen as a victory for voting rights in Alabama and a step towards ensuring that all eligible voters have access to the ballot box.
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