U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Arizona Voter Registration Case in Upcoming Term
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in RNC v. Mi Familia Vota, formally indicating that the justices will review the case in their upcoming term. The justices will determine a number of questions at stake on a federal law that ensures every American can register to vote and make their voices heard in our elections.
Arizona is trying to ignore the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the federal law in question, to silence the voices of its voters. Since 2018, plaintiffs have been fighting — and winning — to enforce the NVRA in Arizona. Previously, a federal judge shot down anti-voter laws in the state that blatantly violated the NVRA. Now that this case is before the U.S. Supreme Court, these safeguards are potentially at risk.
In response to today’s order, Danielle Lang, Campaign Legal Center’s vice president of voting rights and the rule of law, issued the following statement:
“For more than a decade, voters in Arizona, particularly Latino, Native American and student voters, have been singled out by burdensome proof of citizenship and voter purge laws pushed by bad faith actors to undermine their freedom to vote. Ignoring critical voter protections like the National Voter Registration Act forces Arizonans to jump through unnecessary hoops to participate in our democracy. We must ensure that every Arizonan, regardless of their background, has an equal and unobstructed path to exercise their fundamental freedom to vote. We have defended voters in court many times before and won, and we will continue to fight for voters and the importance of the NVRA at the United States Supreme Court."
This case was brought by plaintiffs Living United for Change in Arizona, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Arizona Students’ Association, Arizona Democracy Resource Center Action, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., San Carlos Apache Tribe, and Arizona Coalition for Change. Plaintiffs are represented by Campaign Legal Center, Free Speech for People and Mayer Brown.
The NVRA is an important safeguard that protects eligible voters from being systematically purged from the voter rolls within 90 days of an election and prevents states from imposing burdensome voter registration requirements beyond what federal law requires. The U.S. already has strict laws to ensure that only American citizens vote in federal elections. Requiring voters to provide documents proving their citizenship makes it harder for eligible Americans to register and vote. In fact, more than 21 million Americans don’t have access to current documents that could prove their citizenship. That’s nearly 10% of all voting-age Americans.
More information on our case is available here.
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The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. We safeguard the freedom to vote, defend voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence elections, and work to ensure public trust in our elected officials.
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