A federal judge in Alabama has issued a preliminary injunction against a voter purging program that made thousands of legal voters inactive, restoring their active registration status ahead of the November elections. The program, launched by Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen in August, aimed to identify and remove noncitizens registered to vote in Alabama.
The Department of Justice and civil rights groups sued Allen, arguing that the program violated federal law by systematically removing names from voter rolls within 90 days of a federal election. U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, stating that the program had real consequences for legally entitled voters in Alabama.
Under the initiative, over 3,000 potential noncitizens were identified, leading to 2,000 legally registered citizens being made inactive. However, further verification revealed that many of these individuals were indeed legal voters. The program also resulted in the disqualification of 159 individuals, some of whom were mistakenly removed due to confusing instructions.
The judge ordered Secretary Allen to educate county officials and poll workers, publish a press release, and send letters to update the recently reactivated voters. While Allen can still remove ineligible voters individually, he is prohibited from conducting systematic removals as part of a program.
The court emphasized that the program had caused chaos and uncertainty leading up to the November election, potentially disenfranchising voters. The decision was seen as a victory for naturalized citizens and legal voters, with advocates highlighting the importance of ensuring voter rights and preventing wrongful removals from voter rolls.
