Earlier this month, Alabama closed 31 DMV offices in majority-black counties across the state, a move that civil and voting rights groups warned would make it harder for thousands of voters to acquire voter ID. But, the story of denying voter access via motor vehicle offices doesn’t end there.
Last month, the Department of Justice threatened to sue the state of Alabama after an investigation found the state was failing to follow federal voter registration law at DMVs.
The Justice Dept. investigation found that applicants for new or updated state driver’s licenses or state ID were not offered the opportunity to register to vote, which is required under Section 5 of the National Voter Registration Act. Many state offices didn’t accept or transmit voter registration forms to elections offices. Astonishingly, the DOJ reports that the state has “never been in compliance with this law,” which was passed over 20 years ago, wrote John Archibald at AL.com.
While the DOJ’s letter is not related to the closure of the DMV offices, both issues relate to criticisms against the state for creating barriers for voters.
“The lawsuit filing has been delayed to give the department time to reach a possible settlement with Alabama officials, ” according to the Birmingham Business Journal. If the lawsuit is filed, Alabama would become the 15th state sued by the Justice Dept. for failure to comply with the law, according to Archibald.
Project Vote and our partners work to ensure the landmark voter registration law is enforced at motor vehicles offices and other government agencies. Learn about our Motor Voter work and government agency voter registration work at www.projectvote.org.