By Justin Fedich | The Selma Times-Journal

Last week, Congresswoman Terri Sewell asked the Department of Justice to investigate the closing of 31 driver’s license offices. On Wednesday, Sewell will host a Black Belt Town Hall meeting to discuss the impact of state budget cuts on the Black Belt.

The town hall meeting will be held at New Hope Baptist Church 2 in Camden Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sewell is welcoming local and state officials to the seventh Congressional District to hear the concerns of the Black Belt citizens regarding the budget cuts and closing of Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices.

“This town hall will provide my Black Belt constituents the opportunity to discuss with elected officials how the state’s budget cuts will impact their community,” Sewell said.

Sewell has said in response to the DMV closings that it will only increase the voting disparities between high-income and low-income communities.

“The real issue here is about access,” Sewell said last week. “Closing these licenses offices will severely limit access to the most popular form of photo identification used in voting — a state issued driver’s license.”

Last Wednesday, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley met with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and black legislators to address the criticism over the closing of 31 driver’s license offices in the Black Belt.

“We will not rest until these offices reopen,” Jackson said at a news conference.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Wednesday that it will seek a supplemental appropriation from lawmakers next year to reopen the offices.

In 2014, the Camden driver’s license office issued 145 permits and 42 licenses and gave 403 exams.

Sewell has said the closing of driver’s license offices is “disappointing and unconscionable” because it limits options available to meet voting ID laws, especially in lower-income areas.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill issued a statement last week saying the impact won’t be as severe as Sewell and others say.

“The closure of 31 DMV offices will not leave citizens without a place to receive the required ID card to vote,” Merrill said. “All 67 counties in Alabama have a Board of Registrars that issue photo voter ID cards.”