WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday revived part of an Arizona voter law requiring documented proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, in response to a request from the Republican National Committee and Arizona Republicans.
The law requires applicants who submit a federal registration form to provide evidence of U.S. citizenship to vote in presidential elections or vote by mail in any federal election.
Without proof of U.S. citizenship, state applications are rejected in their entirety, and officials who fail to do so face a minor felony charge under the law.
The Supreme Court’s ruling revived the restriction related to the state voter registration form, but kept intact a judicial decision blocking the provision that sought to tighten limits on the federal form.
The Biden administration sued to block the Arizona law in July 2022, claiming it is superseded by a 1993 federal law called the National Voter Registration Act.
The law says that states must register voters for federal elections after they submit the federal registration form, which requires a declaration of U.S. citizenship under penalty of perjury, but not documentary proof.
Phoenix-based U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton in September 2023 sided with the Biden administration and other plaintiffs in their challenge to Arizona’s proof of citizenship requirements.
Since then, the state has allowed those voters to participate only in federal elections, not state or local races.
WASHINGTON, August 22, Reuters – The U.S. S. On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld a portion of an Arizona voter law that demanded official documentation of U.S. S. Upon request from Arizona Republicans and the Republican National Committee, citizens were granted the right to register to vote.
In response to legal challenges from the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden and advocacy groups, a federal judge had blocked a portion of the law, which the justices agreed to reinstate in a 5-4 decision.
The choice is made prior to November. Democratic vice president Kamala Harris is running against Republican former president Donald Trump in the May 5 election. Trump maintains his deceptive assertion that fraud caused his loss in the 2020 election.
In 2022, new restrictions on voter registration were adopted by the Republican-controlled legislature in Arizona. By law, candidates who file a federal registration form must certify that they are U.S. s. citizenship to cast a mail-in ballot in any federal election or to vote in presidential elections.
There are more stringent regulations for voter registrants who use an additional form created by the state. Without evidence of U. S. officials who neglect to do so risk a minor felony charge under the law. citizenship, state applications are denied in their entirety.
Reviving the restriction on the state voter registration form, the Supreme Court’s decision upheld a lower court ruling that had blocked a provision aimed at tightening restrictions on the federal form.
Though Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch indicated they would have granted the full request, Chief Justice John Roberts collaborated with other conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch to partially grant Republicans’ request.
Along with conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson would have completely denied the request.
“Counting each legitimate vote and forbidding any attempt to cast a vote illegally are essential components of election integrity,” stated Ducey.
In July 2022, the Biden administration filed a lawsuit to overturn the Arizona law, arguing that the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 is a more recent federal statute. According to the legislation, states have to register voters for federal elections following the submission of the federal registration form, which necessitates a declaration of U.S. S. citizenship without providing documentation, but under threat of perjury.
A different lawsuit claimed that the Arizona statute contravened a settlement reached with the court in 2018 that required state election officials to register voters who do not have official documentation of U.S. citizenship. S. citizenship for federal elections—regardless of whether state or federal forms are used.
Leading Republican lawmakers in Arizona as well as the Republican National Committee stepped in to support the legislation.
Based in Phoenix, U. s. September 20, 2023: In the case challenging Arizona’s proof of citizenship requirements, District Judge Susan Bolton sided with the Biden administration and other plaintiffs. She stopped the state from denying state-form applicants for lack of citizenship documentation, or preventing federal-form applicants from voting for president or casting mail-in ballots.
a three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court in San Francisco. s. The Circuit Court of Appeals decided not to overturn Bolton’s decision after considering the case on its merits. RNC and Arizona Republicans responded to this by filing an emergency case with the Supreme Court.
The Democrats serving as Arizona’s secretary of state and attorney general opposed the Republicans’ request to the justices.
Arizona has been a flashpoint in the United States and is predicted to be among the most competitive states in the election in November. S. battle over voting rights.
There is no proof that irregularities affected Biden’s close victory over Trump, according to a highly critical Republican review of the 2020 presidential election.
Arizona passed a law in 2005 requiring citizenship documentation for new voters, but the U.S. S. In 2013, the Supreme Court decided that the state could not impose that requirement on individuals who registered using a federal form. Since then, the state has limited those voters’ ability to vote to federal elections only—not state or local contests.
As of July 1, Arizona had more than 42,000 registered voters who were “federal only,” according to state data.
Under Republican leadership, the U. S. A similar bill requiring citizenship verification to register to vote in elections was passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year, but it was never implemented in the Democratic-majority U.S. S. the Senate.
John Kruzel reported; Jonathan Oatis edited.
