The Republican National Committee (RNC) has asked the Supreme Court for emergency action to reinstate an Arizona law that requires voter registration applicants who use the state’s form to show proof of citizenship.
requestThe bill introduced Friday also seeks to reinstate Arizona’s provisions that bar anyone from voting in the presidential election or by mail if they don’t meet proof of citizenship requirements, regardless of whether they use a state or federal form.
The RNC’s filing aims to put the law into effect ahead of the November election, with Arizona expected to be a key battleground state in the race between former President Trump and Vice President Harris.
Currently, Arizona’s rule is on hold due to a lower court ruling.
“The district court’s injunction represents an unprecedented abdication of the Arizona Legislature’s sovereign right to determine voter qualifications and organize participation in elections,” the Republican National Committee, along with state lawmakers, wrote to the justices.
By default, their petition was sent to Justice Elena Kagan, a member of the court’s liberal wing, who handles emergency appeals from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. She can handle the request alone or refer it to the full court for a vote.
The motion notes the importance Republicans place on voter integrity efforts, but: Brennan Center for Justice Study Of the 23.5 million votes counted in the 2016 election, there were only 30 cases of suspected foreign voters.
The lawsuit follows a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that found federal voting law prohibited Arizona from requiring proof of citizenship from registered voters who apply using a federal form.
Two years ago, as part of other reforms, Arizona began requiring officials to reject state-level voter registration forms for voters who don’t provide proof of citizenship.
At issue is whether the requirement violates a consent decree the state entered into in 2018 with the United Latino Laborators Association (LULAC), the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization.
The provision states that applicants who submit state forms without proof of citizenship will be fully registered if their citizenship can be verified through information on file with the state transportation department.
The RNC also wants to reinstate Arizona’s requirement that proof be provided for presidential and mail-in ballots, which a lower court ruled was also preempted by federal law.
The filing also cited the Purcell principle, which refers to court practice of not blocking election rules when an election is too close, saying the lower court went too far.
“The Arizona Legislature enacted relevant law more than two years ago, but the Ninth Circuit’s order has prevented state agencies from enforcing the law. Because the Ninth Circuit erroneously blocked a valid state election law, this Court ‘must correct that error,'” the filing states.
The RNC and state lawmakers have asked for a ruling by August 22, setting a deadline for resolving the lawsuit before the ballots are printed.
