Current:Home > Contact-usLawsuit says Alabama voter purge targets naturalized citizens-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Lawsuit says Alabama voter purge targets naturalized citizens
View Date:2024-12-23 20:18:00
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Voting rights groups have filed a lawsuit against Alabama’s secretary of state over a policy they said is illegally targeting naturalized citizens for removal from voting rolls ahead of the November election.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced last month that 3,251 people who had been previously issued noncitizen identification numbers will have their voter registration status made inactive and flagged for possible removal from the voter rolls.
The lawsuit filed Friday by the Campaign Legal Center, Fair Elections Center and Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of naturalized citizens and advocacy groups says the method wrongly targets naturalized citizens who once had noncitizen identification numbers before gaining citizenship.
“Alabama is targeting its growing immigrant population through a voter purge intended to intimidate and disenfranchise naturalized citizen,” the lawsuit says.
Allen’s office had not been served with the suit and generally does not comment on lawsuits, Allen spokesperson Laney Rawls said Monday.
In announcing the voter purge, Allen acknowledged the possibility that some of the people identified had become naturalized citizens since receiving their noncitizen number. He said they would need to update their information on a state voter registration form and would be able to vote after it was verified.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include two U.S. citizens who received letters telling them they were being moved to inactive voter registration status because of the purge. One is man born in the Netherlands who became a U.S citizen in 2022. The other is a U.S.-born citizen.
“No American citizen should be denied their freedom to vote, and all Americans have the same freedom to vote regardless of where they were born. Instead of protecting Americans’ freedom to vote in the November election, Alabama is shamefully intimidating naturalized citizens and illegally purging qualified Americans from voter rolls,” Paul Smith, senior vice president of the Campaign Legal Center, said in a statement about the lawsuit.
As what promises to be a tight presidential election approaches, Republicans across the country have raised concern about the possibility of noncitizens voting and states have undertaken reviews of voter rolls and other efforts.
“I have been clear that I will not tolerate the participation of noncitizens in our elections,” Allen said in a statement announcing the voter purge.
Voting by noncitizens is rare, according to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice. In a review of 2016 election data in 42 jurisdictions, election officials found 30 incidents of suspected noncitizen out of 23.5 million votes.
Federal prosecutors in Alabama announced a plea deal last week with a woman from Guatemala who used a false identity to obtain a U.S. passport. Prosecutors said she used the same false identity to vote in 2016 and 2020.
veryGood! (431)
Related
- Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 11
- This climate change fix could save the world — or doom it
- Wynn Resorts paying $130M for letting illegal money reach gamblers at its Las Vegas Strip casino
- Mega Millions skyrockets to $800 million. See the winning numbers for September 6 drawing
- 2025 Medicare Part B premium increase outpaces both Social Security COLA and inflation
- Nashville’s Mother Church of Country Music retains its roots as religious house of worship
- Bama Rush, step aside! 3-year-old star of 'Toddler Rush' combines cuteness and couture
- Score 50% off Old Navy Jeans All Weekend -- Shop Chic Denim Styles Starting at $17
- Wildfire map: Thousands of acres burn near New Jersey-New York border; 1 firefighter dead
- Just how rare is a rare-colored lobster? Scientists say answer could be under the shell
Ranking
- Sports are a must-have for many girls who grow up to be leaders
- Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods Prove Their Friendship is Strong 5 Years After Feud
- Who is the highest-paid NFL player? Ranking the highest NFL contracts for 2024 season
- Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer has died at age 58
- What are the best financial advising companies? Help USA TODAY rank the top U.S. firms
- Georgia school shooting highlights fears about classroom cellphone bans
- Hope for North America’s Most Endangered Bird
- As the Planet Warms, Activists in North Carolina Mobilize to Stop a Gathering Storm
Recommendation
-
Why Josh O'Connor Calls Sex Scenes Least Sexy Thing After Challengers With Zendaya and Mike Faist
-
Packers QB Jordan Love injured in closing seconds of loss to Eagles in Brazil
-
Why an ominous warning didn't stop Georgia school shooting
-
As US colleges raise the stakes for protests, activists are weighing new strategies
-
Spirit Airlines cancels release of Q3 financial results as debt restructuring talks heat up
-
Talks between Boeing and its biggest union are coming down to the wire - and a possible strike
-
MLB trade deadline revisited: Dodgers pulled off heist to get new bullpen ace
-
Grand Canyon’s main water line has broken dozens of times. Why is it getting a major fix only now?