Alabama's secretary of state has sent county voter registrars a reminder that people convicted for simple marijuana possession are eligible to vote and should not be blocked from registering.
The reminder came after a discovery that some people in Houston County were wrongly kept off the voting rolls.
The secretary of state's chief legal adviser, Jean Brown, says a conviction for possession for personal use does not bar a person from voting. Possession with the intent of resale does constitute a crime of moral turpitude and would cause someone to lose their voting rights.
Kenneth Glasgow of The Ordinary People's Society said he fears the many people have been wrongly kept from voting.
Brown says she didn't think the problem was widespread and that most counties interpreted the law correctly.
