The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Friday against Alabama and its top election official, alleging a state program violated federal law by removing voters from its election rolls too close to this fall’s general election.
While states can remove a person’s name from their lists of registered voters if, for example, the person asks to be taken off, has died or, in many places, been convicted of certain crimes, the National Voter Registration Act sets what’s known as a “quiet period” before federal elections for most states.
Alabama and other states covered by the federal law are not allowed to systematically remove names fewer than 90 days before a federal election.
