The Division of Justice sued the State of Alabama and its prime election official, alleging that that they had eliminated voters who had beforehand been issued noncitizen identification numbers from its election rolls too near election day.
Noncitizen identification numbers are a tax-processing quantity issued by the Inner Income Service (IRS) to make sure that individuals—together with undocumented immigrants—pay taxes.
Together with paying taxes, noncitizen identification numbers can present authorized migrants with securing a driver’s license and offering proof of residency.
After being sworn into workplace in January, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen started working to determine and take away 3,251 people who’re registered to vote in Alabama who’ve been issued noncitizen identification numbers by the Division of Homeland Safety.
“I’ve been clear that I can’t tolerate the participation of noncitizens in our elections,” Allen beforehand mentioned in a launch. “I’ve even gone as far as to testify earlier than a United States Senate Committee relating to the significance of this challenge. We have now examined the present voter file in an try to determine anybody who seems on that checklist that has been issued a noncitizen identification quantity.”
Now, the DOJ is pushing again and has filed a lawsuit in opposition to Alabama and Allen.
The company argued that Allen violated the Nationwide Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), which requires states to finish any adjustments to the voter registration lists no later than 90 days earlier than federal elections.
Allen applied the adjustments 84 days earlier than, the DOJ alleged.
“The fitting to vote is without doubt one of the most sacred rights in our democracy,” Assistant Legal professional Normal Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division mentioned in a press release. “As Election Day approaches, it’s vital that Alabama redress voter confusion ensuing from its checklist upkeep mailings despatched in violation of federal regulation.
The DOJ additionally alleged that Allen’s removing of voter registration additionally impacted natural-born residents who had been incorrectly recognized as potential noncitizens.
The Justice Division seeks injunctive reduction that “would restore the power of impacted eligible voters to vote unimpeded on Election Day,” the division mentioned in a press release.
“The division additionally seeks remedial mailings to coach eligible voters regarding the restoration of their rights and ample coaching of native officers and ballot employees to handle confusion and mistrust amongst eligible voters accused of being noncitizens,” the company mentioned.
Reached for remark late Saturday evening, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen informed Fox Information Digital, “I used to be elected Secretary of State by the individuals of Alabama, and it’s my Constitutional obligation to make sure that solely Americans vote in our elections.
“As to the query relating to the Division of Justice’s lawsuit, this workplace doesn’t touch upon pending litigation the place the Secretary of State is a named defendant.”
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