MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring voters to prove their citizenship. That means providing documented proof, like a Star I.D., when registering to vote.
Some say this will ensure fair elections, while others largely disagree.
Secretary of State Wes Allen said the mandate enables him to use new databases to update voter rolls, those being from the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. Allen said it would keep elections fair.
“So, we can cross check any legal/non-citizens against our statewide voter files to make sure we only have American citizens voting in our elections,” Allen explained.
But the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice said that cross checking evokes fear. Allison Hamilton, executive director, said minorities are already nervous about being targeted just based on what they look like.
“Executive orders especially just create more fear and feed into a narrative that is false about what’s happening in elections,” she said.
The executive order also prohibits the counting of ballots received after election day. A’Niya Robinson with the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama said that’s concerning for service members overseas who vote absentee.
“Some of their ballots may not come in on time. Maybe they are postmarked by Election Day, which, federal law says that’s okay,” said Robinson.
But Allen said it won’t turn voters away.
“No, I don’t think it’s going to discourage anyone from voting,” he said. “We saw a huge turnout this past November. We’ve got good processes here in place in the state of Alabama. And we just want to make sure, again, that only American citizens are voting in our elections.”
In a press release, that League of Women Voters said the mandate was a dangerous attempt to silence American voters. They called it an anti-voter executive order.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
