A federal judge has ruled that Kansas and Arizona should be allowed to require voters to provide evidence of U.S. citizenship, in a case closely watched by both sides dealing with the question of voter eligibility.
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren in Wichita, Kan., ruled that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission had no legal authority to deny requests from the two states to add the citizenship requirement. In the ruling, released Wednesday, he ordered the commission to revise the national form immediately.
Kansas and Arizona require new voters to provide a birth certificate, passport or other documentation to prove U.S. citizenship. The federal registration form, however, requires only that prospective voters sign a statement declaring they are citizens. The different requirements opened the possibility that residents of those states would have to register twice, using separate voter registration forms, if they wanted to vote in both state and federal elections.
The fight also has political overtones. Republicans have generally argued in favor of tougher voting requirements, contending they prevent fraud. Democrats oppose the state standards, which they say can block voters — including the young and the poor from registering to vote.
