March 20, 2014
Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren issued a ruling in Kris W. Kobach et al. v. United States Election Assistance Commission, stating that the EAC must fulfill requests from those states to print state-specific registration forms reflecting state proof-of-citizenship requirements. Project Vote Executive Director Michael Slater issued the following statement in response:
“We are very disappointed and concerned about this decision. States like Arizona and Kansas must not be allowed to erect the kinds of suppressive voting restrictions that federal laws were passed to prevent.
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) made registration accessible to tens of millions of Americans by streamlining the registration process. One of the accomplishments of the NVRA was to create a simple federal voter registration form that states are required to accept and use. This form does not currently require documentary proof of citizenship: applicants attest to their eligibility, including citizenship, under penalty of perjury, and the state’s voter registrar oversees who is added to the rolls.
Implementing the changes to the federal form that Arizona and Kansas have requested is contrary to the express legislative purpose of the NVRA. Without the safeguard of the federal form, fewer eligible individuals will be able to register and vote.
This, we believe, is the intent and effect of these additional requirements. The states have not demonstrated any evidence whatsoever that the federal form has ever resulted in a single individual illegally registering or voting. On the other hand, there is substantial evidence that proof-of-citizenship requirements have already stymied voter registration in Arizona and Kansas, resulting in tens of thousands of eligible citizens having their registrations rejected.
Project Vote will continue this fight against states trying to erode the protections of the NVRA, and we will continue our legal efforts to ensure that every eligible citizen can register, vote, and have their ballots counted.”
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