Alabama Secretary of State finds over 3,000 non-citizens registered to vote

Secretary Wes Allen Orders Immediate Action to Cleanse Alabama Voter Rolls Amid Concerns Over Accuracy

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced today a significant step in his ongoing effort to ensure the accuracy of the state’s voter rolls, revealing that his office has identified 3,251 individuals registered to vote in Alabama who have been issued noncitizen identification numbers by the Department of Homeland Security.

Allen, who took office on January 16, 2023, has made it a priority to maintain what he describes as the “cleanest and most accurate voter file in the country.” As part of this initiative, he has instructed the Boards of Registrars in all 67 Alabama counties to immediately inactivate and begin the process of removing any individuals who are not U.S. citizens from the voter rolls.

“I have been clear that I will not tolerate the participation of noncitizens in our elections,” Allen said in a statement. “I have even gone so far as to testify before a United States Senate Committee regarding the importance of this issue. We have examined the current voter file in an attempt to identify anyone who appears on that list who has been issued a noncitizen identification number.”

Allen’s office has faced challenges in this effort, particularly due to what he describes as a lack of cooperation from federal authorities. Repeated requests to the federal government for a list of noncitizens currently residing in Alabama were declined, prompting Allen to find alternative methods to identify potentially ineligible voters.

Despite the findings, Allen acknowledged the possibility that some of the individuals flagged by his office may have since become naturalized citizens and are, therefore, eligible to vote. The process initiated by the Secretary of State’s Office will allow those individuals to update their information on a State of Alabama Voter Registration Form and, once verified, retain their voting rights.

In addition to instructing local registrars, Allen has forwarded the list of identified registered voters to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall for further investigation and potential criminal prosecution.

“This is not a one-time review of our voter file,” Allen added. “We will continue to conduct such reviews to do everything possible to make sure that everyone on our file is an eligible voter. I am hopeful that in the near future the federal government will change course and be helpful to states as we work to protect our elections.”