U.S. Supreme Court Partially Grants Request for Stay in Arizona Voting Rights Case

The Supreme Court just partially granted the Republican National Committee’s request for a stay in a voting rights lawsuit that will impact the freedom to vote for up to 40,000 Arizonans.  

Bruce V. Spiva, senior vice president at Campaign Legal Center (CLC), issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court ruling:  

“We are disappointed that the Supreme Court is upending longstanding rules on the eve of an election that will clearly cause voter confusion. Free and fair elections rely on every citizen being able to cast a ballot and the fight is far from over. We look forward to making our case at the 9th circuit in September. In the meantime, CLC will continue working with our partners to fight for every Arizona citizen’s right to make their voice heard in the 2024 election.”    

Danielle Lang, senior director of voting rights at CLC, will argue on behalf of plaintiffs in this case in the 9th Circuit Court of appeals on September 10. She issued the following statement:  

“If the Court is going to weigh in on eleventh hour election law challenges, it needs to enforce the principle against last minute changes evenhandedly. This decision fails to do that.”  

Background: 

Free and fair elections rely on every eligible voter having the ability to access the ballot box. 

CLC filed the lawsuit (consolidated as Mi Familia Vota v. Fontes) on behalf of Native, Latino and student voters who would be negatively impacted by the law, which forces voters to produce documentary proof of citizenship and residency to register to vote.  

The case will now proceed to a hearing in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. 

State election officials already have existing systems in place to verify voter eligibility, and they work tirelessly to ensure voter rolls are accurate. As a result of these efforts, voters can trust that our elections are safe, secure and accurate.