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Citizens report receiving registration letter from Secretary of State

The Lowndes County Commission considered voter concerns at its meeting Monday, April 14, when commissioners learned some county residents had received letters questioning their voting activity.

According to Commissioner Robert Harris, “a lot” of local citizens received letters questioning whether they were actively voting.

“There has been a lot of letters sent to voters that they are not actively voting, and some of these people actually work at the polls and are deeply involved in the election process,” Harris said. “Letters are going out and they’ve got 90 days to respond.”

Harris said he thought that thousands of letters went out from Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen. According to Allen’s communications director Laney Rawls, hundreds of thousands of Alabama voters were notified that they may need to update or verify their registration.

Rawls said the notices are part of the address confirmation program required by the National Voter Registration Act and Alabama law and are intended to notify voters no longer eligible to vote in Alabama because they have moved out of state or whose voting place has changed after they moved to another county.

“It’s kind of crazy because we know that these people are actually voting and working, involved in the [voting] process,” Harris said. 

Lowndes County Board of Registrars member Joe Ward was called before commissioners to explain what he knows about the notices. Ward said the letters are aimed at verifying who is eligible to vote in state and local elections. He estimated between 2,500 and 3,000 Lowndes County voters were sent the notices.

“I got a letter, and I’m a registrar,” Ward said. “They are basically trying to find out who has moved out of state. I don’t see anything complicated about it.”

The letter asks recipients to respond within 90 days or face being asked to update their voter registration information the next time they vote.

“Your voter registration will be canceled if you do not update your voter registration or vote in an election up to or including the November 2028 general election,” the letter reads.

Lowndes County Attorney Prince Chesnut said he understands that Allen is cross checking available information to determine whether voters may have moved. 

“If they see a different address from the voting address, then they’re using that to say ‘there’s been a change.’” Chestnut said.

Anyone questioning their voter registration can utilize the SOS office search tool at https://myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/VoterView, Voters who received a letter and need to update registration information can do so by visiting www.sos.alabama.gov.