Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen is praising the passage of a bill that prohibits the use of a foreign national driver’s license for voting purposes.
“Ensuring that only American citizens are voting in our elections has been a top priority of mine since day one. This legislation helps defeat noncitizen attempts to dilute the vote of legal American citizens and strengthens Alabama’s safeguards against noncitizen voting. It promotes fair, secure, and transparent elections that Alabama voters deserve,” Allen said.
“Foreign nationals are prohibited under both federal and Alabama law from registering to vote and voting. Until now, Alabama law did not specifically exclude foreign national driver’s licenses from being used as a valid photo voter identification.”
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency can issue this form of identification to people who are in the United States legally but are not citizens.
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SB158 was introduced by State Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) and was meant to clear up confusion over the issue.
“I extend my sincerest gratitude to Senator Barfoot and Representative Treadaway for sponsoring SB158 and for pushing it to the finish line. This legislation codifies an important common-sense election integrity measure that will protect the vote of every Alabamian,” Allen continued. “Because of their work, and every member of the Alabama legislature that voted for this bill, Alabama elections will be protected and fortified in the future.”
Allen emphasized his commitment to making sure the Yellowhammer State is leading the effort when it comes to securing elections in America.
“As Secretary, I have strengthened our voter registration policies by requiring a verifiable Alabama driver’s license number or social security number at the time of registration, making it impossible for a noncitizen to register to vote without committing blatant fraud,” Allen explained. “Now, SB158 will give our local election officials definitive backing to deny someone attempting to vote with a foreign national driver’s license and eliminate any confusion about what is and is not acceptable.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
