US sues Alabama alleging it violated law that protects voter rights

The US Justice Department said on Friday it filed a lawsuit against Alabama over a program the state said was aimed at removing non-citizens from its election rolls, alleging that it violated federal law because it was implemented too close to the November 5 elections.

In mid-August, less than three months before the November 5 elections, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced a "process to remove non-citizens registered to vote in Alabama," citing over 3,200 people who he said registered to vote and were not US citizens.

"The Quiet Period Provision of federal law exists to prevent eligible voters from being removed from the rolls as a result of last-minute, error-prone efforts," the Justice Department said in a statement on Friday announcing the lawsuit.

The Quiet Period Provision requires states to complete systematic programs aimed at removing the names of ineligible voters from voter registration lists by no later than 90 days before federal elections.

The Justice Department said its review found that both native-born and naturalised US citizens have received letters stating that their voter record has been made inactive and that they have been placed on a path for removal from Alabama's statewide voter registration list.

"I was elected Secretary of State by the people of Alabama, and it is my Constitutional duty to ensure that only American citizens vote in our elections," Allen told the media in response to the lawsuit.

The November 5 elections include those for president, the US Senate and the US House of Representatives.

Republican former President Donald Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 election, in what polls show to be a tight race for the White House.