The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) has formally notified Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen that his office is violating the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) by making it practically impossible for the public to obtain the state’s voter registration records.
Federal law requires that states make these records available for inspection and photocopy reproduction at a “reasonable” cost. Instead, Alabama insists on charging nearly $37,000 for a digital copy of the rolls and now claims it cannot provide paper copies at all.
“Failure to offer photocopy reproduction is a violation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and applicable holdings by U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit,” PILF wrote in its letter to Secretary Allen.
The Foundation noted that Alabama’s current scheme would require printing a monstrous 370,000 legal-size pages, weighing nearly 2.5 tons, just to produce the voter roll in hard copy. State officials even admitted that their IT systems could not complete such a job.
“It seems the post Greater Birmingham Ministries world of NVRA compliance is noncompliance. It just cannot be done, according to your own staff,” the letter explained.
The absurdity of Alabama’s pricing structure becomes clearer in comparison to other states. Georgia charges a flat fee of $485, while Florida provides its voter roll for free. Alabama’s $37,000 fee is the highest in the nation by a wide margin. As PILF noted “Wisconsin has the second-most expensive data in the nation at less than a third of Alabama’s price.”
PILF President J. Christian Adams emphasized that transparency is not optional.
“Charging tens of thousands of dollars or offering no workable alternative is clearly not in compliance with the NVRA,” said Adams. “The NVRA was designed to guarantee transparency in how voter rolls are maintained. Alabama’s practices effectively shut down public oversight.”
The Foundation offered Alabama a path forward: reduce fees and restore photocopy access, as New Mexico did in a 2023 settlement that lowered costs from $5,000 to $600. “Here are some ideas to resolve this,” the letter concluded. “An hour of time, a plate of BBQ, and good conversation – isn’t this a better way to help us help you find dead registrants and those voting in other states?”
If Alabama fails to cure the violation within 90 days, PILF is prepared to sue.
Read the full letter here.
Media Contact:
Douglas Blair 503-956-9899 dblair@publicinterestlegal.org