Supreme Court reinstates part of Arizona voter citizenship law

The U.S. Supreme Court revived part of Arizona's proof of voter citizenship law on Thursday, allowing for restrictions regarding the state voter registration form.

Following a request from the Republican National Committee and Arizona Republicans, the Supreme Court reinstated a provision of the state law after federal courts blocked it, Reuters reported. Individuals filling out voter registration forms for state elections must provide proof of U.S. citizenship, unlike those filling out the federal voter registration forms.

A provision of the law requiring that registrants demonstrate proof of citizenship when registering with the federal forms for the presidential election remains on ice.

On Aug. 1, two judges of a three-judge panel decided to reverse a decision by another panel of the appeals court, blocking Arizona's 2022 laws on federal-only voters. In July, the original panel granted a partial stay of the U.S. District Court of Arizona's ruling in May, allowing part of the laws to take effect. The July ruling required residents who could not provide proof of U.S. citizenship to use the federal voter registration form, rather than the state voter registration form.

Arizona is a state with the unusual situation of bifurcated elections, in which residents who provide proof of U.S. citizenship can vote in all elections while the others may vote only in federal elections, resulting in ballots cast by voters who haven’t proven their U.S. citizenship. State law requires residents registering to vote in the state to provide proof of U.S. citizenship.  

However, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that Arizona must accept U.S. voter registration forms because of federal requirements under the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, the state allows residents registering to vote who don't provide proof of citizenship to receive ballots for federal races only.

Arizona's 2022 laws restrict federal-only voters, allowing them to only vote in congressional elections (not state or presidential) and prohibiting them to vote by mail.