Voters and elected officials in Greene and Macon County today filed a class-action suit in federal court against Governor Bob Riley and Task Force commander John Tyson. The complaint alleges that the governor violated the Voting Rights Act by nullifying the votes of the electorates in Greene and Macon counties who approved state constitutional amendments in 2003 authorizing electronic bingo operations in their counties.

The complaint also alleges that the raids carried out by the governor and his Task Force have the purpose of perpetuating Alabama’s historical denial of home rule to Black Belt counties, in violation of the Ku Klux Klan Act and the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution.