Alabama Secretary of State to launch “refresh” of voter rolls

If you’re a registered voter in Alabama, you will soon hear from Secretary of State John Merrill.

Merrill announced last week that he would begin a “voter record refresh” effort to ensure accurate voting information for the state’s 3.3 million registered voters.

“During my time as Alabama’s 53rd Secretary of State, our office has registered more than 600,000 new voters. As we work to ensure every Alabamian is afforded the opportunity to register to vote, it is also important to account for address changes and deaths that could artificially inflated the State’s voter rolls. That is why this process is so important and must be completed every four years,” said Secretary Merrill.

The Secretary of State’s office says that the clean-up will ensure compliance with the National Voter Registration Act, which requires periodic contact with voters to ensure the most accurate information is on file to allow each voter to have the biggest impact on the elected officials that represent them at the local, county, state, and federal level.”

While the measure is routine, action to ensure integrity in the voter rolls comes amid President Trump’s promise that a “major investigation” is coming to crack down on illegal votes.

Since the election, the President has said that “millions” voted in 2016 unlawfully. It’s a claim that Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks says has some validity.

“I pledge to support you in any way I can,” he told Vice President Mike Pence during a meeting last week.

“I perceive that the president may be spot on, as he is identifying this voter fraud problem, although he can’t really itemize the magnitude,” Brooks said.

The Vice President responded by saying that the Administration is readying actions to ensure the integrity of U.S. elections.

“We have an obligation to preserve democratic institutions and the democratic process, Pence responded. “What I can tell you is that I would anticipate that the Administration is going to initiate a full evaluation of voting rolls in the country, the overall integrity of our voting system in the wake of this past election.”