A federal judge issued a temporary halt on Alabama’s voter removal program on Wednesday, amid significant legal disputes over voter purges in Republican-led states as the upcoming fall Election Day approaches. This court action follows challenges from the Justice Department and civil rights organizations, represented by the Campaign Legal Center, against efforts by Alabama’s Secretary of State, Wes Allen, a Republican, who seeks to remove noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls. Alabama, among other states, is prohibited by the National Voter Registration Act from systematically removing people from their registered voter lists within 90 days of a federal election, a period known as the “quiet period.”
On August 84th, precisely 84 days before Election Day, Secretary Allen announced a plan to purge 3,251 registered voters in Alabama who were identified as having noncitizen identification numbers by the Department of Homeland Security. While non-U.S. citizens are ineligible to vote in federal and state elections, Allen acknowledged that U.S. citizens who were naturalized and are eligible to vote were also included on this list.
In her decision, U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco, appointed by former President Donald Trump, determined that Alabama breached the NVRA’s “quiet period” provision and instructed Allen to pause the voter removal program until November 5. Judge Manasco highlighted that Secretary Allen not only launched the purge program too close to the election but also admitted that the list included thousands of U.S. citizens and had referred those on the list for criminal investigation.
This case in Alabama parallels similar litigation in Virginia, where the Justice Department and Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights contest an executive order by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. The order mandates “daily updates” to the state’s voter list to remove those unable to prove their citizenship, using data from Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles. Opponents argue this violates the NVRA’s “quiet period” and contend that DMV data could be flawed or outdated.
Governor Youngkin described the DOJ lawsuit as an attack on election legitimacy in Virginia, a sentiment echoed by former President Trump, who criticized the legal challenge without evidence, suggesting it aimed to interfere with the election by reinstating “illegal voters” on the rolls.
Additionally, a possible legal confrontation over voter purges is emerging in Ohio. Voting rights groups led by the American Civil Liberties Union have issued a letter to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, regarding extensive voter removals in some counties that reportedly did not comply with NVRA requirements. These groups have indicated their readiness to pursue court action if necessary changes are not implemented within 20 days.
This report was edited by Benjamin Swasey.
