Phoenix, AZ - The League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS), League of Women Voters of Arizona (LWV Arizona), and co-amici applaud Tuesday’s decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The decision protects the rights of all eligible Arizona voters to register and vote in all federal elections.
LWV Arizona, LWVUS, the Secure Families Initiative, and the Modern Military Association of America, represented by the ACLU, Brennan Center, Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP, and Demos, jointly filed an amicus brief in a federal lawsuit to defend the National Voter Registration Act’s applicability to presidential elections. The brief challenged Arizona’s HB 2492, which imposed proof of citizenship requirements for presidential voting, among other restrictions. After the District Court enjoined these provisions, the defendants appealed to the Ninth Circuit, arguing the NVRA didn’t apply to presidential elections. The Ninth Circuit’s decision upheld and confirmed the NVRA’s applicability to all federal elections.
“We are grateful for the Ninth Circuit’s decision. HB 2492 was a solution searching for an effectively non-existent problem, and we are pleased that both the district court and Ninth Circuit largely agreed,” said Pinny Sheoran, president of the League of Women Voters of Arizona. “Requiring proof of citizenship for presidential elections in Arizona would only have caused voter confusion and disenfranchisement while doing nothing to make elections better in the state.”
“The Ninth Circuit’s decision clearly rejects the Arizona legislature’s attempt to create barriers to the ballot box and undermine federal law,” said Marcia Johnson Esq., chief counsel of the League of Women Voters of the United States. “The League knows that our democracy functions best when all eligible citizens can participate. That’s why we fought so hard for the NVRA and are proud to defend it from attacks by the anti-voter legislatures.”
“We are pleased that the Ninth Circuit mostly agreed with rulings of the Arizona District Court. It is not necessary to obtain documentary proof of citizenship when all potential voters are required to swear an oath asserting their citizenship when registering to vote,” said Sarah Brannon, deputy director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “The Ninth Circuit’s ruling means that voters in Arizona will continue to be able to vote in all federal elections without having to meet this unnecessary burden.”
"Hard-won federal voter protections that military and overseas voters have relied on for decades came under attack in this case," said Sarah Streyder, executive director of the Secure Families Initiative. "We welcome this ruling for affirming that all voters -- especially our historically marginalized groups -- deserve access to the ballot box."
“Service members defend our democracy every day, yet they and their families face numerous barriers to exercising their right to vote,” said Rachel Branaman, executive director of the Modern Military Association of America. “We applaud this decision, which ensures military voters aren't further disenfranchised by a burdensome new hurdle.”
“We celebrate the Ninth Circuit’s decision, which makes significant strides in ensuring that eligible voters in Arizona can have their voice heard in federal elections free from unnecessary proof of citizenship requirements,” said Roni Druks, senior counsel of Demos’ Democracy Program. “A just, inclusive, and multiracial democracy demands that we remove barriers to the ballot box—not create new ones.”
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