voter rolls

Alabama’s secretary of state is trying to clarify confusion over voter eligibility. The office said Friday that it sent letters to several thousand residents who were incorrectly declared “inactive” on voter rolls. The letter assured people they would be eligible to vote in November and would not be subject to criminal prosecution.

A federal judge is halting an Alabama program that made thousands of legal voters inactive ahead of the November elections. Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen launched the program in August, saying it would begin a process of removing non-citizens from the state's voter rolls.

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Alabama and its top election official. Federal officials accused the state of illegally purging people from voter rolls too close to the November election.

Nearly one in 10 voters in Alabama are currently characterized as inactive and will need to update their addresses in order for their votes to count in…