The top federal prosecutor in North Alabama says she is reviewing a lawsuit filed Wednesday by groups challenging Alabama’s law requiring people to present photo identification before they can vote. “We received a copy of the lawsuit … We are certainly reading the lawsuit with great interest,” said U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance. But Vance said it was “too speculative” at this point on whether the U.S. Department of Justice would get involved in the issue. But, she added, “we are acutely concerned with protecting the right to vote.”
Vance in October held what she called a listening session with DOJ civil rights and voting rights attorneys, local lawyers, and representatives from groups representing minorities, the poor, senior citizens and those with disabilities to discuss issues surrounding drivers’ license office closures, including its impact on people’s ability to get IDs that would allow them to vote. Drivers’ licenses are the most common form of photo ID, but the state law does allow for other forms of ID.
Representatives from the NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Greater Birmingham Ministries were involved in that meeting. But Scott Douglas, executive director of the ministries, said the lawsuit was already being considered by the time that meeting was being held.
Full Article: U.S. Attorney reviewing voting rights lawsuit filed against Alabama | AL.com.