Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed has fully supported a recent decision by a federal judge requiring Secretary of State Wes Allen to halt a state program to purge non-citizen voters from the state's rolls ahead of the November presidential election.
U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco blocked the program on Wednesday after the Biden administration and several advocacy organizations sued the state.
In August, Allen announced 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 identified 3,251 non-citizen voters on the state's rolls and had instructed Boards of Registrars in all 67 Alabama counties to inactivate and initiate steps necessary to remove them and any other ineligible voters from the voter file.
The Biden administration's Department of Justice alleges the program fell within a prohibitory time window before the November 5 general election, violating the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
Reed quickly applauded Manasco's decision, claiming Allen's "unjust" program risked "disenfranchising legal voters."
"As a former member of the independent, bipartisan U.S. Election Assistance Commission and Alabama Probate Judge who oversaw elections in Montgomery County for years, I wholeheartedly support Judge Anna M. Manasco's decision to halt Secretary of State Wes Allen's unjust voter flagging program just weeks before the presidential election. This ruling is a vital defense of our democratic principles."
"Sec. Allen's program, which wrongfully targeted thousands of registered voters, has proven to be riddled with inaccuracies—over 2,000 of those flagged were later found to be eligible to vote. By branding these individuals as potentially illegal voters and shifting them to 'inactive' status, the program not only sowed confusion but also risked disenfranchising legal voters."
Reed accused Allen of trying to suppress votes and intimidate voters with the purge program, dramatically claiming that the damage done by the purge may "never be fully remediated."
"The Department of Justice's challenge to this program was necessary, and the judge's ruling reaffirms the importance of protecting every Alabamian's right to vote," Reed continued.
"Election integrity must be pursued without resorting to tactics that suppress or intimidate voters. Though Judge Manasco's decision is a victory for democracy, the damage already done by Sec. Allens' program may have far-reaching effects that may never be fully remediated."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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