Esternita Watkins, a naturalized American citizen from Alabama, received a letter from State Secretary of State Wes Allen flagging her voter registration for having a noncitizen identification number. She was upset as she had worked hard and spent a lot of money to become a citizen and vote in the upcoming presidential election. Allen’s focus on preventing noncitizens from voting, even though it is illegal and rare, has resulted in many naturalized citizens like Watkins being targeted and flagged for having noncitizen identification numbers.
Allen’s office announced that 3,251 voter registrations were flagged for removal as part of a new process that identifies anyone with a noncitizen identification number. Voting rights advocates and attorneys believe that this process unfairly targets naturalized citizens, causing them to go through the cumbersome process of re-registering to vote. Although Allen acknowledged the possibility of naturalized citizens being caught in the search, he insisted that they could re-register if necessary.
Critics argue that Allen’s process violates federal voting laws, including the National Voter Registration Act, by removing voters too close to Election Day and discriminating against naturalized citizens. A coalition of voting and immigrant rights groups, including the ACLU and the League of Women Voters, have demanded that Alabama stop the process and provide documentation about its development and implementation. Allen has not yet responded to their letter.
Despite the challenges, Watkins and her husband are determined to ensure she can vote in the upcoming election. They feel that Allen’s actions amount to voter suppression and are concerned about the lack of clarity in the voter registration process. Allen, on the other hand, remains steadfast in his efforts to prevent noncitizens from voting, claiming that his team had faced obstacles in obtaining data from the federal government.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com