Birmingham, AL — In a win for Alabama voters, Secretary Wes Allen has abandoned last year’s illegal voter purge program that threatened to deny qualified American citizens their freedom to vote. Strict laws are already in place to protect the freedom to vote, and our elections have numerous safeguards in place that are regularly analyzed and updated to make sure only eligible voters participate. 

In September 2024, Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, League of Women Voters of Alabama, the Alabama Conference of the NAACP, and four affected voters sued over Alabama’s illegal voter purge program that threatened to remove eligible voters from the state’s voter rolls less than three months before the election. In a case that was consolidated with a lawsuit brought by the US Department of Justice, the district court halted the program prior to the election, finding that it violated the National Voter Registration Act. The plaintiffs are represented by Campaign Legal Center, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Fair Elections Center.

The program designed by Secretary Allen would have had disastrous results for eligible American voters. During a hearing in the case, Secretary Allen’s office admitted that within weeks it was able to confirm the eligibility of thousands of voters on the rolls that Secretary Allen had targeted for removal under the program. The plaintiffs’ expert report found that the vast majority of those voters wrongfully targeted by the program were people of color.  

Likely because of these disastrous results, Secretary Allen has made no known attempts to restart the program he launched in August 2024, which relied on faulty agency data. If Secretary Allen attempts to launch a new program that violates the rights of Alabama voters, the plaintiffs stand ready to take action.  

This week, the plaintiffs withdrew their legal case against Secretary of State Wes Allen, as this program has come to an end. 

“Alabama voters should feel confident that once registered, they can vote and their vote will be counted," said Kathy Jones, president of the League of Women Voters of Alabama. "The League of Women Voters of Alabama will continue to monitor the state's compliance with the NVRA, and we will always fight for strong access to the ballot.”

"Alabama's purge program was implemented in response to harmful and xenophobic narratives, and it has no place in our multicultural democracy," said Caren Short, director of legal and research at the League of Women Voters of the United States. “The League is proud to have been part of the effort to shut down this program and ensure that no voter is denied access to the ballot unlawfully.”

“NAACP Alabama is pleased with Secretary of State Allen's decision to restore purged voters. However, the NAACP Alabama will remain vigilant for any other underhanded tactics that the Secretary of State tries to implement to deny citizens their right to vote.  We ask citizens to remain vigilant and to check their voting status regularly and if there are changes that you did not authorize, to please contact the NAACP so that this can be investigated. We also ask our congressperson from Alabama to join with Congresswoman Terri Sewell to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to help deter these types of unlawful purges,” said Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP.

"We stand unified in defending voting rights for all US citizens, and we expect the Alabama Secretary of State to uphold its responsibilities in protecting those rights. The process of obtaining citizenship takes years and requires unwavering commitment to the US principles of democracy and justice, and, in return, our government agencies must honor that commitment and protect the rights of naturalized citizens to fully participate in our multiracial democracy," said Allison Hamilton, Executive Director of the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice.

“Every American should be able to make their voice heard, and no one should be afraid to vote because a state is arbitrarily challenging their registration status. We celebrate the end to this unlawful purge program that unjustly targeted voters of color and naturalized voters,” said Danielle Lang, senior director of voting rights at Campaign Legal Center. “Voters in Alabama can rest easy for now knowing their freedom to vote is intact but should the state attempt to illegally silence voters, they can count on seeing Campaign Legal Center and our partners again in court.”

“This challenge stopped a wildly inaccurate, last-minute purge program that threatened Alabama citizens’ freedom to vote,” said Michelle Kanter Cohen, policy and senior counsel at Fair Elections Center. “This victory underscores the importance of the National Voter Registration Act in protecting voters’ rights and opportunity to have a say in their government.”

“Alabama's voter purge disparately impacted hundreds of voters of color and naturalized citizens who were eligible to vote,” Sabrina Khan, senior supervising attorney, voting rights, Southern Poverty Law Center. “Ending the purge program ensures they can participate in elections without the state challenging their registration status. Today, the fundamental right to vote for every Alabamian was protected, making sure that all voices are heard. While there is still much work to be done to secure voting rights in Alabama, this is an important step forward.”

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The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. We empower voters and defend democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation, at the local, state, and national levels.