The state of Alaska has sent 3,048 letters to voters asking them to verify their citizenship ahead of the August 18 primary. This move is part of the state’s effort to ensure that only U.S. citizens are voting in the elections.

Citizenship Verification Process

The Alaska Division of Elections Director, Carol Beecher, stated that the division is not requiring paperwork or documentation from the voters. Instead, voters can affirm their citizenship status via letter, phone, or email. Those who receive the letter will be moved to a list of inactive voters, but they can still cast a special ballot that requires them to attest to their qualifications to vote.

Beecher emphasized that this measure is not intended to disenfranchise voters but to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. People who respond to the letter confirming their citizenship will be moved back to the active list.

Concerns and Reactions

Some state lawmakers have expressed concerns about the letters, with one representative stating that some constituents who received the letters are U.S. citizens. The Division of Elections has clarified that the letters were sent due to a comparison of voter rolls with information from the Division of Motor Vehicles, which yielded an unusually high number of potential non-citizens.

The Division of Motor Vehicles has described the request for citizenship information as a non-routine request. The agency has advised voters to update their information to avoid being flagged in future citizenship checks.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.