A federal judge has ordered Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen to temporarily halt his voter purge program, which sought to remove thousands of naturalized citizens from the state’s voter rolls. The decision, issued by District Judge Anna Manasco, came in response to lawsuits filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and civil rights groups, who argued the program was illegal.
The preliminary injunction requires Allen to not only pause the purge but also to restore the voter status of those already removed and notify individuals who had requested removal due to the program.
The voter purge program was announced by Allen in August and targeted 3,251 registered voters in Alabama who had previously been issued noncitizen identification numbers by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Despite many of these individuals later becoming naturalized U.S. citizens, Allen directed all 67 counties to inactivate them and begin the removal process. He also referred the names to the state’s Attorney General for possible criminal prosecution and indicated that further reviews would be conducted.
Civil rights groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), joined with naturalized citizens to file a lawsuit against the state, arguing that the purge unfairly disenfranchised eligible voters.
Judge Temporarily Halts Alabama’s Voter Purge Program After Legal Challenge Over Naturalized Citizens
The Department of Justice also filed a separate lawsuit, citing the violation of the Quiet Period Provision under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). This provision prohibits states from removing voters from registration lists within 90 days of a federal election, but Allen’s program started just 84 days before the upcoming election.
In her ruling, Judge Manasco emphasized that the program clearly violated the 90-day quiet period. She also noted that Allen’s purge list wrongly included many U.S. citizens, as well as noncitizens who are ineligible to vote. Despite this, everyone on the list was referred for potential criminal investigation.
The ruling was seen as a significant blow to Allen’s efforts to enforce stricter voter eligibility measures, which civil rights groups argued amounted to voter suppression.
Both the DOJ and civil rights organizations hailed the court’s decision as a victory for protecting voters’ rights. Jess Unger, an attorney with the SPLC, stated that the ruling reinforces the importance of the NVRA’s protections for eligible voters.
While Allen indicated he would comply with the judge’s order, he maintained that his office has a duty to ensure only eligible American citizens vote, suggesting that the legal fight may not be over.
