On a recent Friday, Alabama found itself at the epicenter of a legal debacle. The Justice Department took legal action against the state due to a campaign aimed at tidying its voter register and ensuring ineligible foreign nationals were not on the list. It was claimed that the timing of this campaign was too close to an impending election.
The legal motion against Alabama surfaced following an announcement by State Secretary Wes Allen in the preceding month. The gist of Allen’s declaration involved a plan to eliminate ineligible non-citizens from the voting pool. This course of action, in the eyes of the Justice Department, was a breach of federal legislation.
According to the department, the steps taken by Alabama resulted in conflict with the National Voter Registration Act. Under this act, there is a mandate restricting certain state actions within a 90-day window preceding a federal election. In essence, the department viewed Alabama’s undertaking as a potential impediment to the upcoming election.
The ballot has always been a symbol of democratic rights. As the election day nears, it’s crucial for Alabama to address any confusion borne of its purge of the voter register, because such efforts were, according to the DOJ, contrary to federal law.
In a communique dated August 13, which fell just 84 days prior to the November 5 elections, Allen revealed that state officials had flagged a number of irregularities on the voter register. Specifically, there were up to 3,251 individuals who carried identification numbers suggestive of non-citizenship, provided by the Department of Homeland Security.
Following this revelation, Allen proceeded to dispatch letters to the said 3,251 individuals. This was an opportunity for these people to update their information in case they were now naturalized citizens or otherwise get removed from the list on the grounds of being unqualified to vote.
The DOJ decided to launch a review following these actions. The review highlighted that ‘native-born and naturalized U.S. citizens alike received letters implying that their state voter registration was on the verge of getting deactivated and that they were on track to be excluded from Alabama’s comprehensive list of registered voters’.
The intention of the department was for Alabama to issue ‘remedial mailings’. This approach was aimed at educating qualified voters about the restoration of their rights. Concurrently, it intended to offer sufficient training to local officials and poll workers so as to alleviate any confusion or disillusion among legitimate voters alleged to be foreigners.
On his part, Allen defended his actions, recognizing them as necessary for the purification of the register. In his view, the efforts did not disenfranchise anyone who was a legitimate U.S. citizen from participating in the coming elections.
Allen was unequivocal about his stand against foreign involvement in U.S. elections. As far back as August, he declared, ‘I will not stand for noncitizens interfering in our democratic process’. Furthermore, he stated having testified before U.S. Senate Committee on the gravity of this issue.
Allen added that a thorough review had been carried out on the existing voter file, and this had helped identify any person appearing on the list with a non-citizen identification tag. This identification tag was the base upon which current investigations and actions were constructed.
A recent case pointed towards the menace of illegal voting activities with non-citizens. Early this month, an unauthorized immigrant originating from Guatemala was caught for using a counterfeit identity to participate in the elections of 2016 and 2020. He was also indicted for possessing unlawfully obtained passports.
While maintaining a strong stance against voter fraud, it is important to ensure that such initiatives are undertaken with meticulous attention to legality and regard for the voting rights of every lawful citizen. The balance must be struck between ensuring free and fair elections and upholding the rights of each eligible voter.
Conviction about certain issues is not a problem. In fact, it’s commendable. However, the lens through which we view these issues needs to be legal, objective and protect the fundamental truths upon which our constitution is founded. This is an important consideration as we continue refining and protecting our electoral processes.
Every citizen’s vote should count, and every count should matter. It’s up to the guardians of our electoral process to ensure that the process is kept clean and transparent for every legal citizen, while keeping the integrity of the process at the forefront.
The commitment by relevant bodies and departments on maintaining the integrity of the election process should continue. Simultaneously, it should be recognized that any actions taken related to this process should be in the best interest of promoting the sacred democratic rights of every American citizen.