A federal appeals court in Denver is considering whether Kansas and Arizona can force federal elections officials to help them impose their proof-of-citizenship requirements on voter registration forms.
A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments on Monday in the case. It hinges on whether the federal government or the states have the ultimate authority to regulate voter registration.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission appealed an order from a federal judge to modify a federal form to include instructions requiring Kansas and Arizona residents to provide citizenship documentation.
More than a dozen voting-rights groups have either joined the lawsuit or filed friend-of-the-court briefs. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers have urged the appeals court to throw out the judge’s ruling.
