03/19/2014 // West Palm Beach, Florida, US // JusticeNewsFlash // Justice News Flash // (press release)
Arizona – A federal judge recently ordered the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to aid in the enforcement of voter citizenship laws in Arizona and Kansas. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren determined that the commission lacked the legal authority to deny requests from either state to make state-specific instructions an addition to a national voter registration form.
A lawsuit was filed by the states and election officials, secretaries of state Kris Kobach of Kansas and Ken Bennett of Arizona, to enforce their requirements of proof of citizenship for new voters, citing them as a means for preventing voter fraud.
Melgren is quoted as writing in his decision, “Because the Court finds that Congress has not pre-empted state laws requiring proof of citizenship through the National Voter Registration Act, the Court finds the decision of the EAC denying the states’ requests to be unlawful and in excess of its statutory authority.”
Kobach is quoted by the AP as stating of the judge’s ruling Wednesday, “This is a really big victory, not just for Kansas and Arizona but for all 50 states… Kansas has paved the way for all states to enact proof-of-citizenship requirements.”
This report is provided by Justice News Flash – Arizona Legal News
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