CASPER, WY — On Friday, the League of Women Voters of Wyoming filed an amicus brief urging a federal court to grant a preliminary injunction against HB 156, a law imposing burdensome and discriminatory proof of citizenship requirements on voter registration in Wyoming. The League is represented by Campaign Legal Center and Robinson Bramlet LLC.
“Wyoming residents already have to demonstrated that they are citizens when they register, and HB 156 will only create more bureaucracy that prevents Wyoming citizens from exercising their fundamental right to vote," said Linda Barton, president of the League of Women Voters of Wyoming. "For decades, Wyoming’s elections have been secure and without fraud without this law. The League is proud to speak out against this unnecessary and discriminatory law that will harm Wyoming residents and voters.”
“This documentary proof of citizenship law — HB 156 — is yet another example of a state creating a solution in search of a problem," said Marcia Johnson, chief of activation and justice at the League of Women Voters of the US. "The League is proud to be fighting unlawful documentary proof of citizenship laws in courts across the country. State legislatures must learn that unfounded allegations of non-citizen voting do not justify laws that create discriminatory and financially burdensome restrictions on voter registration for eligible voters.”
“We already have laws — strict ones — that exist nationwide to ensure that only American citizens vote in federal elections. As such, there is no need for a law that would force the people of Wyoming to jump through extra hoops and provide additional documentation to cast their ballot,” said Dan Lenz, Senior Legal Counsel for Litigation at Campaign Legal Center. “This law, HB 156, should be blocked. It does not do anything to make our elections more secure; it just keeps Americans from voting.”
The League’s brief is filed in Equality State Policy Center v. Gray, a case challenging Wyoming House Bill 156, which requires voters to show documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Plaintiffs in the case argue the law will make it harder for eligible residents to register, which violates the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the US Constitution.