Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen Highlights Voter Roll Cleanup and Federal Hurdles in Congressional Testimony

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen testified before the U.S. House Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Elections during a hearing titled “Revisiting the 2024 Elections with Secretaries of State,” on April 8, 2025.

The hearing coincided with the House's passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which mandates proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration. The legislation, aligned with President Trump's Executive Order, passed with a 220-208 vote, reflecting ongoing debates over election security and voter access.

Allen emphasized efforts to enhance election integrity in Alabama. He reported the removal of over 500,000 ineligible voters from the state's voter rolls since assuming office. “Our voter file, which was a bloated mess on the day I took office, is now the most accurate record of eligible voters our state has ever had,” Allen stated. He affirmed that the 2024 election cycle in Alabama was administered with a primary focus on election integrity, a goal he believes was achieved.

Allen also addressed challenges faced by his office, citing difficulties in accessing federal databases essential for maintaining accurate voter records. He criticized the process of obtaining the Social Security Administration’s National Master Death Index as “absurdly time consuming and overly burdensome,” attributing delays to excessive bureaucratic red tape. Additionally, Allen noted that previous attempts to access noncitizen data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services were denied under the prior administration.

The Secretary expressed optimism regarding President Trump's recent executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security to collaborate with states in identifying and removing noncitizens from voter rolls. Allen believes that this directive will facilitate batch comparisons of DHS noncitizen data with state voter files, enabling the prompt removal of individuals illegally registered to vote. He underscored the importance of granting states immediate access to such data, asserting that only U.S. citizens should participate in elections.

Allen's testimony highlights the ongoing efforts and challenges in ensuring election integrity, as well as the interplay between state initiatives and federal policies in the administration of elections.

Secretary Allen’s full testimony may be found HERE.