“As long as I’m secretary of state of Alabama,” John Merrill proclaimed in 2016, “you’re going to have to show some initiative to become a registered voter in this state.”
Merrill, a Republican, is still secretary of state. But Tuesday’s special election proved his declaration was incomplete. In Alabama, showing initiative isn’t always sufficient to become a registered voter.
Under Merrill’s regime, a multitude of voters—most of them in majority-black counties—struggled to cast their ballots in the race between Roy Moore and Doug Jones. Unprepared poll workers spread misinformation. Bewildered citizens were forced to fill out confusing, redundant paperwork. Qualified voters were told they could not vote. And the state may well have run afoul of federal law.
Shortly after polls opened in Alabama, many voters reported being told that they had been moved to the “inactive voter list.” This additional hurdle to casting a ballot seems to have resulted from a project Merrill undertook this year to “refresh” Alabama’s voter lists. 

http://www.businessinsider.com/alabama-possibly-violated-federal-law-with-voter-plan-2017-12