Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen is claiming the Biden administration has contracted liberal third-party organizations to help prisoners register to vote, regardless if they are disqualified under Alabama law.
According to Allen, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been engaging in this practice since 2021, after a Biden executive order (EO) approving the practice. Biden issued the EO in March 2021. The EO directs federal agencies to work with third-party organizations to "promote voter registration and voter participation." Namely, it authorized the U.S. Attorney General to "provide educational materials related to voter registration and voting and, to the extent practicable, to facilitate voter registration, for all eligible individuals in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons."
"[M]any Americans, especially people of color, confront significant obstacles to exercising that fundamental right," the EO states." These obstacles include difficulties with voter registration, lack of election information, and barriers to access at polling places. For generations, Black voters and other voters of color have faced discriminatory policies and other obstacles that disproportionally affect their communities. These voters remain more likely to face long lines at the polls and are disproportionately burdened by voter identification laws and limited opportunities to vote by mail."
Earlier this year, Allen said his office began communicating with the White House to get more information on how the EO has been implemented in Alabama. Allen contends that the Biden program likely violates Alabama law, which disqualifies certain individuals who have committed specific felonies or crimes of "moral turpitude."
"It has been confirmed by the White House Administration that at least one liberal third-party organization has been deployed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to conduct voter registration in federal prisons in Alabama in response to this EO," Allen said in a statement to 1819 News. "Obviously, this raised questions for my staff and I. The federal prison population includes high percentages of noncitizens, individuals who are not domiciled in Alabama, and individuals potentially convicted [of] crimes of moral turpitude – all of which could be ineligible to vote in Alabama elections."
Allen did not clarify who the third-party organization that the Biden administration is utilizing is. However, he claims that the administration's answers have been scant at best.
"My office has sent correspondence to both the third-party group and the Federal Bureau of Prisons demanding answers as to how they are ensuring that only eligible, United States citizens are being registered to vote as they conduct voter registration in federal prisons. Unsurprisingly, my Office's attempts to gather information and ensure that only eligible U.S. citizens and Alabama residents are being registered to vote have fallen on deaf ears. Questions as to the use of taxpayer dollars to fund this illegal effort have also been left unanswered by the White House," he said.
"I am dedicated to ensuring fair, secure, and transparent elections. Nobody, not even the Biden-Harris Administration, will get me to back down from that. We are still exploring options to stop this practice."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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