By Associated Press
Montgomery, AL – State court administrators say eligible voters across Alabama are wrongly being denied the right to vote because of a legal opinion by Gov. Bob Riley's office concerning felony records.
The Administrative Office of Courts said Wednesday that, based on information provided by Riley's legal aides, people have been stricken from voter rolls and refused registration when they are actually eligible to cast ballots.
The office blamed the problem on a mistake by Riley's office in listing which criminal convictions disqualify residents from voting or registering to vote.
Riley's office denied doing anything wrong and said the opinion at the heart of the dispute was correct. Court administrators said the practice went on for months, but the number affected wasn't known.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)