WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will review state voter registration laws in Arizona that lower courts said conflict with federal rules and suppress the vote.
At issue are parts of state laws enacted in 2022 to prevent noncitizens from voting.
Lower courts have ruled against Arizona’s method of purging voter rolls within 90 days of an election. They’ve also said the state can’t require documentary proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections for residents using a state registration form instead of a federal form.
The court on June 29 agreed to hear appeals from Republicans contesting those rulings.
The justices declined, however, to decide whether voters can be prevented from casting a ballot by mail unless they provide proof of citizenship. That leaves in place a ruling blocking that provision.
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The Biden administration and voting rights groups challenged Arizona’s law, arguing it conflicts with a federal statute requiring states to use a standard registration form for federal elections. That form requires that voters swear — under penalty of perjury — that they are a citizen.
Arizona’s voter registration form, by contrast, requires documentary proof of citizenship.
The Trump administration told the Supreme Court that Arizona’s law is a lawful way of combating voter fraud.
The dispute is part of a larger effort by Republicans who have raised doubts about the integrity of elections.
President Donald Trump has falsely claimed for years that noncitizens are widely voting in U.S. elections.
Data shows that noncitizens voting in federal elections is extremely rare.
The court is expected to hear the case in the term that begins in October and issue a decision by next summer.
