Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen has announced that 3,251 noncitizens have been identified as having registered to vote in the state. He has instructed local authorities in all 67 counties to inactivate the voter registrations of these individuals. They will have the opportunity to remove their registration or update it to reflect proper citizenship if their status changes. The individuals were identified using Department of Homeland Security-issued identification numbers.
Despite requesting help from the federal government, Allen was denied access to the necessary information. He has stated that he will not tolerate the participation of noncitizens in elections and has taken steps to remove them from the voter rolls. The list of registered voters with noncitizen identification numbers has been sent to the Office of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall for further investigation and possible criminal prosecution.
This initiative in Alabama reflects similar moves in neighboring states, such as Tennessee, where election officials requested over 14,000 people to provide proof of citizenship to remain on active voter rolls. However, critics like Jonathan Diaz from the Campaign Legal Center believe that Allen’s actions undermine public confidence in the integrity of elections and disproportionately target a relatively rare phenomenon.
Despite the criticism, Allen has emphasized that the review of the voter file will continue in order to ensure that only eligible voters are on the rolls. The Secretary of State’s office is working to obtain more information and cross-checking identifying numbers with state agencies to further verify voter eligibility.
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