Montgomery, AL – After taking office on January 16, 2023, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen quickly implemented strategies aimed at ensuring the state maintains the cleanest and most accurate voter file in the country. A key part of this effort involves identifying and addressing the presence of noncitizens on Alabama’s voter rolls. Today, Secretary Allen announced 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 (DHS). In response, he has instructed the Boards of Registrars in all 67 counties to inactivate and take steps to remove any individuals who are not U.S. citizens.
“I have been clear that I will not tolerate the participation of noncitizens in our elections,” said Allen. “I have even testified 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.”
Secretary Allen’s efforts to address this issue have faced challenges, particularly due to a lack of cooperation from the federal government. Requests to the U.S. government for a list of noncitizens residing in Alabama have been declined, leading Allen to seek alternative methods for identifying noncitizens on the voter rolls.
Allen also acknowledged the possibility that some of the individuals identified as noncitizens may have since become naturalized U.S. citizens, making them eligible to vote. The process initiated by the Secretary of State’s Office will allow these naturalized citizens to update their information on a State of Alabama Voter Registration Form, and once verified, they will be able to participate in future elections.
In addition to taking immediate steps to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls, Secretary Allen has provided the list of registered voters identified as having been issued a noncitizen identification number to the Office of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall for further investigation and potential criminal prosecution.
“This is not a one-time review of our voter file,” Allen emphasized. “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.”
As Alabama’s 54th Secretary of State, Wes Allen serves as the state’s Chief Elections Official. The office of the Secretary of State in Alabama is responsible for more than 1,000 duties, including overseeing the integrity of elections in the state.
