The Biden administration on Friday sued Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, accusing him of violating federal law by deleting voter rolls too close to Election Day.
The suit, brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ), alleges that Allen violated the “quiet period” clause, part of the National Voter Registration Act, which prohibits the systematic erasure of names from voter rolls within 90 days after an election. Alleges that there was a violation.
“The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights in our democracy,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a statement. statement. “As Election Day approaches, it is important that Alabama corrects voter confusion caused by directory mailers sent in violation of federal law.”
“Officials across the country should be mindful of the National Voter Registration Act's clear and unequivocal limitations on systematic list maintenance activities within 90 days of an election,” she added.
The Justice Department's filing follows Mr. Allen. launched On August 13, it began the process of removing noncitizens who are registered to vote in Alabama. At that time he said His office announced that it had identified 3,251 people in the state who are registered to vote but have been “issued a non-citizen identification number” by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He also added that some of these people are naturalized citizens and therefore can legally vote.
The department said in its “investigation” that many mainland-born and naturalized citizens also had invalid voting records up to 84 days before the election, “putting them on the path to being removed from all of Alabama.” He said he had received a letter containing the following information. Voter registration list. ”
“I was elected Secretary of State by the people of Alabama, and it is my constitutional duty to ensure that only American citizens can vote in elections,” Allen said in a statement to The Hill. He avoided mentioning it. Government officials do not comment on pending legislation.
The Justice Department's lawsuit follows similar lawsuits filed by voter advocacy groups seeking injunctive relief to allow affected citizens to vote in November.
