In what could be branded as an unfounded overreach, the U.S. Justice Department made a move against Alabama and its chief election officer last Friday. The claim? The accusers argued that the state allegedly acted outside of legal parameters by removing individuals from voter lists a tad too soon, ahead of the November election. It was contended that this move violated the ‘tranquillity clause’ of the National Voter Registration Act, which supposedly forbids systematic removal of people from voter rolls 90 days prior to a national election.
This accusations seem to have been triggered by an August announcement by the State, which aimed at an initiative to dismiss noncitizens that had somehow slipped into Alabama’s voter lists. This move was designed to ensure only eligible U.S. citizens exercised their voting rights, a commendable effort indeed to uphold the integrity of the election process by the State.
In this drive, over 3,000 individuals previously assigned noncitizen identification numbers had their voting statuses altered to ‘inactive’. This was also in conjunction with warning flags marking them for potential eradication from voter lists. Thus, it appears that Alabama was simply looking to put a stop to potential election interference stemming from non-citizens.
The Justice Department lawsuit however, insists that the letters were sent to both native-born U.S. citizens and those who had attained citizenship through naturalization. These are individuals who have every legal right to cast their votes. Nevertheless, it seems worth noting that these so-called ‘violations’ are being raised on the eve of Election Day, suggesting a potential motivation beyond preserving ‘democratic rights’.
In the words of a representative from the hyperactive Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, ‘The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights in our democracy.’ They demanded Alabama to clarify any misconceptions arising from its list maintenance mailings, which they argue were carried out in violation of federal law. It’s fascinating, though, how the sanctity of ensuring that only legitimate citizens can vote doesn’t seem to be of equal importance.
This lawsuit absurdly calls for curative actions that would reestablish the ability of the ‘affected’ eligible voters to participate in the November 5 elections. The responsibility of ensuring that only valid American citizens vote, a task that should naturally reside with each state, was acknowledged somewhat begrudgingly in a statement published last Friday night.
An admission was made regarding the likelihood that some of the identified individuals might have indeed transitioned to naturalized citizens since they received their initial noncitizen identification numbers. To address this, they would simply need to update their records through the state voter registration form, a straightforward action to confirm their voting eligibility.
The entire fiasco became even more intriguing when other groups also jumped on this nonsensical bandwagon. Earlier this month, the Campaign Legal Center, Fair Elections Center, and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a simultaneous lawsuit, adding further baseless claims to the mix.
These critics of Alabama’s initiatives argue that the state’s plan unfairly targets naturalized citizens who once had noncitizen identification numbers before they officially became citizens. Once again, conveniently ignoring the simplicity and fairness of the proposed validation process which simply requires them to update their citizenship status.
This recent lawsuit includes two U.S. citizens, recipients of the legally contested letters, telling them their voting statuses were in the process of being classified as inactive due to the state’s sound purge initiative. The pair comprises a man of Dutch origin who attained U.S. citizenship in 2022, and a U.S.-born citizen.
In this light, it is clear that Alabama is being targeted for its legitimate efforts to sanitize its voter lists, all under the guise of protecting ‘sacred voting rights’. The narrative seems insufficiently backed and heavily biased against a Republican-led state maintaining its election integrity.
Despite the unfounded criticisms, Alabama stands firm in the face of the outcry, upholding the values and principles that form the backbone of American democracy. The state’s efforts should be seen for what they are – a conducive and proactive initiative to ensure that American elections rightfully remain a matter for American citizens only.
The controversy represents a classic case of partisan politics overruling common sense; it is sadly prominent, particularly amidst a heated election season. Through concerted efforts and a tough stand, states like Alabama may just succeed in preserving the integrity and sanctity of the American election process, even in the face of such biased attacks.