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Kansas, Arizona prevail in voter citizenship suit
[KANSAS] A judge in Wichita has ordered a federal commission to enforce Kansas and Arizona laws requiring documents such as a birth certificate proving citizenship for new voters.U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren ordered the Election Assistance Commission to immediately add Kansas- and Arizona-specific instructions to the federal voter registration form. Those instructions will say that new registrants will have to provide documents proving citizenship before they are allowed to vote, as required by state law. For most people, that means either a birth certificate or passport. Other forms of proof are accepted in special cases, including for veterans, naturalized citizens, Americans born overseas and members of federally recognized tribes. The requirement is separate from the companion provision of state law that requires voters to show their driver's license or other state-issued photo ID when they vote at the polls. About 15,000 Kansas registrants have their voting privileges suspended because of failure to provide proof of their citizenship. The court decision is a significant victory for Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who shepherded the state's proof-of-citizenship law through the Legislature and was tapped by Attorney General Derek Schmidt to defend the law in court. Arizona became a co-plaintiff in the Wichita case after a Supreme Court ruling went against its proof-of-citizenship law last year. Posted by: Fred 2014-03-21 |
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