U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco blocked a state program aimed at removing ineligible voters from its election rolls from continuing on Wednesday.
After a hearing on Tuesday in federal court in Birmingham, Manasco preliminarily enjoined a program by Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen intended to systematically remove the names of ineligible voters from voter registration lists.
The Department of Justice alleges the program began too close to the November 5 general election, violating the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
Allen announced on August 13 that his office was implementing a process of removing ineligible non-citizen voters from Alabama's rolls ahead of the November elections. Allen said he was instructing Boards of Registrars in all 67 Alabama counties to initiate steps necessary to remove everyone who is not an American citizen from the voter rolls.
Allen had reportedly identified 3,251 non-citizen voters in the state as part of the effort.
The order does not preclude removal of names from the official list of voters at the request of the registrant, by reason of criminal conviction or mental incapacity (as provided by State law), by reason of the death of the registrant or based on individualized information about non-citizenship.
“For decades, federal law has given states a hard deadline to complete systematic purges of ineligible persons from voter rolls: no later than ninety days before a federal election. This year, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen (1) blew the deadline when he announced a purge program to begin eighty-four days before the 2024 General Election, (2) later admitted that his purge list included thousands of United States citizens (in addition to far fewer noncitizens, who are ineligible to vote), and (3) in any event, referred everyone on the purge list to the Alabama Attorney General for criminal investigation,” Manasco said in her preliminary injunction order.
Trump nominated Manasco as a federal judge in 2020.
Allen told 1819 News, “Because this litigation is still ongoing, I am limited in my ability to comment.”
“Earlier today, the federal court issued a preliminary injunction order. I will comply with the order of the federal court. I have a constitutional duty to ensure that only eligible American citizens are voting in our elections. State and federal laws are clear that only eligible American citizens can vote in our elections. Today’s order does not change that,” Allen said.
Voter Purge Injunction by Caleb Taylor on Scribd
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