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

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — 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.”

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