Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with attorneys general from twenty-three other states, has filed an amicus brief supporting an Arizona law that mandates proof of citizenship for voter registration. The coalition is requesting the Supreme Court of the United States to issue an emergency stay on a federal district court's injunction against the law.
Arizona's state constitution, similar to many others, requires that only American citizens are eligible to vote in elections. To enforce this requirement, Arizona enacted a law necessitating documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration. However, a federal district court ruled that this law was preempted by the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). Opponents argue that the NVRA does not allow states to impose proof of citizenship requirements.
Attorney General Paxton contends that the district court's ruling misinterprets the NVRA and undermines states' sovereign rights to regulate their elections. "The Biden-Harris Administration has intentionally flooded our country with illegal aliens. Without proper safeguards, foreign nationals can and will illegally influence elections at the local, state, and national level," said Paxton. He emphasized that states have a constitutional duty to ensure only legal votes from American citizens are counted and urged lawmakers in Texas to prioritize election integrity in future legislative sessions.
The brief submitted by Paxton and his colleagues asserts: "There is every reason to believe this problem of non-citizen voting has gotten worse, as the number of illegal immigrants in the United States has undeniably grown… Each of those illegal aliens represents another possible opening for voter fraud, for each represents a probability—no matter how small—that they will vote illegally."
To read the full brief, click here.