Every American Has the Same Freedom to Vote, No Matter Where You're Born

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A man seated at a table looking towards the camera
Roald Hazelhoff speaking to ABC News in Alabama. Photo courtesy of ABC News

Roald Hazelhoff is a father, a grandfather, a U.S. citizen and one of the many qualified voters swept up in Alabama’s illegal voter purge.  

Just weeks before voters were set to head to the polls, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen implemented an illegal purge program that unfairly and wrongly targeted naturalized U.S. citizens.

This purge targeted over 3,200 voters — and even the state of Alabama admitted that more than 2,000 voters should have never been targeted by the program to begin with.  

Roald, who became a U.S. citizen over two years ago, was one of the registered voters targeted by the purge. “It’s misguided, but it’s also dangerous, and its intimidating,” he told ABC news.

All voters are required to verify their citizenship status when registering to vote, including both U.S.-born citizens and citizens who immigrated here. Despite this, Secretary Allen implemented an illegal voter purge program on the eve of an election.  

Roald is one of the many voters impacted by Alabama’s voter purge and wanted to speak out against injustice on behalf of voters targeted by the purges — recognizing that other targeted naturalized citizens are intimidated and do not feel like they can speak out.  

Campaign Legal Center and partner organizations are representing Roald, alongside community organizations and additional affected voters, in a lawsuit to end the purge program.  

Voter purges, especially when done so close to an election, deny qualified American citizens their freedom to vote. They risk disenfranchising voters like Roald, who may not know they’ve been removed or be able to get back on the voter rolls before an election and without the ability to pursue litigation.  

Strict laws exist to protect the freedom to vote, and our elections have numerous safeguards in place that are regularly analyzed and updated to make sure only U.S. citizens participate — and election officials take this responsibility seriously.  

We have systems in place so everyone, regardless of their political beliefs, can feel confident in their freedom to vote and the security of our election.

Naturalized U.S. citizens like Roald have worked incredibly hard to have the opportunity to make their voice heard free from fear, intimidation or intervention by the state.  

Ultimately, as a result of Roald and other voters raising their voice through our litigation, the court halted Alabama’s purge program through the November 2024 general election.

The court ordered that Alabama reinstate voter registration for voters made inactive due to the purge, like Roald, and inform them of their freedom to vote.

Our democracy is strongest when every eligible American can vote, and CLC is at the forefront of the effort to protect Americans’ freedom to vote.

Madeleine Greenberg is a Communications Associate at CLC.