May 02, 2006

Strange Bedfellows

Justice sues state for lack of voters’ database

WASHINGTON — The state of Alabama is in violation of federal voting rights law because it has not yet created a statewide computerized database of registered voters, according to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The federal government argues that Alabama officials missed the Jan. 1 deadline set by the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

“HAVA’s database requirements are designed to ensure the accuracy of the voter rolls and the integrity of the electoral process in elections for federal office,” said Wan Kim, assistant attorney general for the civil rights division of the Department of Justice. “This lawsuit is intended to vindicate the rights of the voters of Alabama, who do not, at present, enjoy all of the protections that HAVA affords.”

Alabama now joins New York as the two states sued over the database issue.

For complete story, see Wednesday's Birmingham News.
Mary Orndorff

The only thing I can think of that will immediately come of this is a heated debate in Montgomery not about the shame of missing the deadline and how to fix it, but rather the horror that somehow New York and Alabama are being mentioned together.

Posted by Terry Oglesby at May 2, 2006 02:46 PM
Comments

I know I'm horrified.

Posted by: skinnydan at May 3, 2006 08:23 AM

I thought about lumping Albany in there, too, but I didn't want to speak out of turn.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at May 3, 2006 09:22 AM

Albany? Where's that?

[ed. people in the NYC metro area tend to forget there's anything north of Westchester County.]

Posted by: skinnydan at May 3, 2006 11:44 AM

I seem to recall a New Yorker cover with a similar idea behind it...

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at May 3, 2006 11:52 AM