San Francisco, CA — Today, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a previous victory for voters in Arizona by ruling that two laws that suppress the rights of voters should remain blocked.

Campaign Legal Center’s Danielle Lang, senior director, voting rights, released the following statement following the decision:

“Our democracy works best when every American can participate in it without barriers. We’re glad that the 9th Circuit sees these laws for what they are: anti-voter. These laws would have imposed severe, arbitrary and discriminatory burdens on Latino, Native and student voters in Arizona — undermining their freedom to vote and violating the Constitution and federal law.

“CLC is proud to have worked alongside our clients — Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Arizona Students’ Association (ASA), the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA), the San Carlos Apache Tribe, Arizona Coalition for Change, and Arizona Democracy Resource Center (ADRC) — to ensure Arizonans can cast their ballots without unfair burdens.”

Free Speech For People’s Legal Director Courtney Hostetler released the following statement:

“The increased participation of Arizona citizens in our elections should have been cause for celebration; instead, the Arizona legislature responded by erecting unlawful and unconstitutional barriers that most severely affected voters of color—laws that harmed voters and undermined Arizona’s democratic system, which only succeeds if voters have the right and ability to cast their ballots. The Ninth Circuit’s important ruling protects voters, our Constitution, and our voting laws. It is a victory not just for our clients, but for all people who want to protect voters and the health of our democracy.”

Background:  

Free and fair elections rely on every eligible voter having the ability to access the ballot box.

CLC filed the lawsuit (consolidated as Mi Familia Vota v. Fontes) with Barton Mendez Soto PLLC, Mayer Brown LLP, Free Speech for People, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe Department of Justice on behalf of Latino, Native and student voters who would be negatively impacted by the law, which forces voters to produce documentary proof of citizenship and residency to register to vote.

State election officials already have existing systems in place to verify voter eligibility, and they work tirelessly to ensure voter rolls are accurate. As a result of these efforts, voters can trust that our elections are safe, secure and accurate.

Read the decision here.