Birmingham, AL — Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Fair Elections Center (FEC), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Alabama voters and civil rights groups successfully defended naturalized Americans who were unfairly purged from Alabama’s voter rolls. A federal judge halted Alabama’s illegal and last-minute purge program, which put the freedom to vote for thousands of Alabamians in jeopardy, holding that Alabama could not systematically operate their program meant to remove voters from the rolls in the ninety days before the 2024 general election.
CLC, FEC, and SPLC filed a lawsuit on behalf of four Alabama voters, the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, the League of Women Voters of Alabama, and the Alabama Conference of the NAACP. After the groups filed a motion for preliminary injunction, the Department of Justice also filed a lawsuit.
“This decision underscores the importance of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to protect voters and is a win for voters and for all Alabamians who value a free and fair election,” said Michelle Kanter Cohen, Policy Director and Senior Counsel, Fair Elections Center. “The NVRA protects eligible people from just these types of last-minute, inaccurate data-matching programs that threaten citizens’ freedom to vote.”
“All Americans have the same freedom to vote, regardless of where they were born. We are proud to stand up for every Alabamians right to vote in the November election and are thankful Alabama’s unlawful voter purge is being put to an end,” said CLC’s Vice President Paul Smith. “In practice, targeting and removing Americans from the voter rolls undermine voters’ ability to make their voice heard. CLC will continue to protect Americans from unfair voter purges so every voter has equal access to the ballot box this November.”
“No U.S. citizen should be afraid to vote, and we are proud to have defended Alabamians ahead of the upcoming election. Today’s court decision helps protect Alabama citizens’ freedom to register and vote without concerns about government interference or intimidation,” said CLC’s Senior Legal Counsel, Kate Huddleston.
“We are pleased with the court’s swift action to protect Alabama voters from an unlawful purge and ensure they can fully participate in the upcoming elections, said Kathy Jones, president of the League of Women Voters of Alabama. “ This ruling strengthens our democracy by safeguarding access to the ballot for all eligible voters including naturalized citizens who were unfairly targeted and removed from the rolls.”
“This is a victory for Alabama voters. It affirms the freedom of voters to participate in the electoral process and the importance of the National Voter Registration Act’s ‘quiet period’ protection for eligible voters,” said Jess Unger, senior staff attorney, democracy: voting rights litigation team, Southern Poverty Law Center. “We encourage all Alabama voters to check their registration at AlabamaVotes.gov before the October 21 voter registration deadline and get out to vote on Election Day, November 5.”
“States across the country are acting on false narratives and lies and removing eligible voters from their rolls in violation of federal law,” said Caren Short, director of Legal and Research for the League of Women Voters. “Unjustly targeting and purging naturalized citizens from the voter rolls is antithetical to our democracy. The League remains committed to ensuring all voters have a voice and can participate fully in our elections.”
“For over 115 years, the NAACP has been fighting for the right to vote. The suppression tactics may look different, but the intent remains the same – silencing Black, and other vulnerable voices,” said Janette McCarthy Wallace, General Counsel, NAACP. “We are proud to advocate on behalf of Alabamians to ensure that the law is followed, and the right to vote protected. Every vote is a voice, and we refuse to be silenced.”
Background:
Just 84 days before voters were set to head to the ballot box to cast their votes in the 2024 election, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen directed Alabama’s Boards of Registrars to immediately inactivate and ultimately remove from the rolls voters who had in the past had a noncitizen identification number issued by the federal government.
All naturalized citizens at one point had noncitizen identification numbers prior to becoming citizens, so Secretary Allen’s purge clearly included — and by design targeted — qualified U.S. citizens.
Alabama voters and Alabama organizations that promote voter registration, represented by CLC, Fair Elections Center, and SPLC, filed a lawsuit requesting that the court block the state’s unlawful voter purge program.
This lawsuit followed the groups’ letter to Secretary Allen demanding that he immediately stop his policy of purging naturalized citizens from the voter rolls ahead of the November 2024 election.
