6 Ala. counties' voter rolls exceed population
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Six Alabama counties have more people registered to vote than adults of voting age.
The Birmingham News compared the state's voter registration numbers with the Census Bureau's population estimates and found more registered voters than voting-age adults in Conecuh, Greene, Lowndes, Perry, Washington and Wilcox counties.
Statewide, the voter registration rolls equal 85% of Alabama's voting age population.
The News reported that the biggest variations were in Greene and Perry counties.
Greene County had 7,540 people on its voter rolls at the end of September, but the Census Bureau estimates its adult population at 6,834.
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Perry County had 8,517 registered voters and a population of 7,635 adults.
Lucy Kynard, chairwoman of the Perry County Board of Registrars, said she wasn't sure why registration would exceed the Census Bureau's population estimate. She said the county's voter rolls are updated regularly to remove voters who have died or moved their registration elsewhere.
After Alabama's party primaries in June, Perry County District Attorney Michael Jackson asked the FBI to investigate an unusually high voter turnout and complaints about absentee voting in the west Alabama county. The FBI has not announced any results.
Secretary of State Beth Chapman says her staff is reviewing the numbers because bloated voter rolls can provide an opportunity for election fraud.
All six of the counties are small and rural, but Chapman said Alabama always has races decided by a few votes.