Alabama election officials make voter registration inactive for thousands of potential noncitizens

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Thousands of registered voters in Alabama who have previously been identified as noncitizens by the federal government will have their registration status changed to inactive, the secretary of state announced this week in a move that prompted quick opposition from voter rights advocates.

Secretary of State Wes Allen announced on Tuesday that 3,251 people will receive letters notifying them that their voter registration status has been made inactive. Allen's office cross-referenced a list of noncitizen identification numbers provided by the Department of Homeland Security with local voter registration data in order to identify them, he said in a written statement. Alabama has over 3 million registered voters, according to the secretary of state's office.

“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,” Allen said.

He added that he would provide the Attorney General’s Office with the list for “further investigation and possible criminal prosecution.”

Fear that noncitizens are voting illegally in U.S. elections has become a cornerstone of Republican messaging in recent months, despite the fact that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Prominent Democrats and voting rights activists across the country have pushed back against national legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, citing preexisting legislation that makes it a federal crime to vote as a noncitizen, and concerns that eligible voters will be disenfranchised.

The 3,251 voters will be required to fill out a form with their local county registrar's office and provide proof of citizenship in order to vote in November.

The list provided to the Alabama Secretary of State's office by the Department of Homeland Security includes people who may have become naturalized U.S. citizens and as such are legally eligible to vote. Allen said naturalized citizens will have the opportunity to update their information.

The Alabama initiative mirrors similar moves in neighboring states. In June, Tennessee election officials asked over 14,000 people to provide proof of citizenship in order to remain on active-voter rolls. They later walked back that request after local voting rights advocates accused the state of voter intimidation.

Jonathan Diaz, the director of voting advocacy and partnerships for the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan organization that works to expand voting access, said Allen's announcement undermines public confidence in the integrity of elections, and is a disproportionate response to a relatively rare phenomenon.

“It's like using a bazooka to kill a cockroach,” he 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.”

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Riddle is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.