The Alabama NAACP and a number of voting rights organizations in the state have taken legal action against Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Secretary of State Wes Allen.
President of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, Benard Simelton, revealed that Secretary of State Wes Allen implemented a new policy in August 2024. This policy aimed to remove non-citizen and naturalized voters from the voter rolls.
According to Simelton, over 3,000 individuals have been removed from the rolls since the implementation of that policy.
It is unclear exactly how many people were wrongly removed.
Simelton argues that individuals should not have to go through the process of receiving letters to notify them of their voter status and offering the opportunity to re-register if there is an error.
Simelton expressed his frustration about the situation, stating that registered voters should not have to go through the hassle of filing paperwork and essentially re-registering. He emphasized that these individuals are already legally registered citizens in the state of Alabama, which should be sufficient.
The plaintiffs in this lawsuit argue that the policy unfairly discriminates against naturalized citizens, limiting their ability to exercise their right to vote.
“The election process is being undermined by states like Alabama, which are determined to deny the right to vote to individuals who have become citizens through marriage or have passed civic tests. This purge is not only highly unethical but also concerning, particularly with the November 5th election approaching,” stated Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP. He further emphasized, “It is time for Alabama to cease playing these games and stop jeopardizing the lives of Alabamians.”
