Alabama’s secretary of state removed nearly 500,000 names from voter file

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen last week announced that a voter integrity database his office developed in 2023 has delivered “massive results,” allowing him to remove hundreds of thousands of names from the state’s voter file.

A press release from Allen’s office claims the new system tallied up registered voters who were deceased, who’d moved to other states or who potentially did hold a driver’s license or Social Security card.

AVID, which replaced Alabama’s Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, relies on cooperative agreements with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and seven nearby states, which the office uses to cross-check information. The system also relies on the national change of address file maintained by the U.S. Postal Service and federal death data maintained by the Social Security Administration.

Allen made the new system a key priority after entering office in January 2023, when he pledged to replace the state’s outdated ERIC system. According to the release, AVID enabled Allen’s office to remove almost 500,000 names from the state’s voter file.

“Following our withdrawal from ERIC, my team and I worked hard to build an Alabama-based voter file maintenance system from the ground up,” Allen said in the release. “… When I came into office, Alabama’s voter file was a bloated mess. Today, I am incredibly proud to showcase what happens when you roll up your sleeves and deliver results.”

According to AVID’s website, matches found with the Social Security Administration’s death index lead to an automatic removal of the voter from the state’s records.

If matches are found via any of three other data sources — the state law enforcement agency, the national change of address file or records held by other states —  Allen’s office sends a postcard to the address on file requesting updated information and changes the voter’s status to “inactive.” The state is required by federal law to wait four years before removing living voters from its files.

Allen’s office did not respond to requests for additional information on how the system works.