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A Civil Liberty 'Victory': Controversial Voter ID Law Rejected

The Supreme Court has struck down a controversial Voter ID law in Arizona, an action the ACLU has declared as a "victory."

The Supreme Court has struck down a controversial Voter ID law in Arizona, an action the ACLU has declared as a "victory."

The law, known as Proposition 200, extended beyond federal policies by requiring applicants to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote. Alabama, Georgia, and Kansas have similar laws.

NBC News reports that civil rights groups see the proposition as an effort to deter legal immigrants from voting. Groups also note that the law would require people to register in person instead of by mail, limiting people's access. Those in favor of the law maintain that it reduces voter fraud.

Brennan Center for Justice Democracy Program Director Wendy Weiser commented in a press release:

Voters scored a huge victory today. We applaud the Supreme Court for confirming Congress's power to protect the right to vote in federal elections. Congress recognized that voter registration must be made more accessible when it passed the National Voter Registration Act, and the Court also affirmed that today.

Weiser concluded her statement by emphasizing all the work that remains to be done to eliminate voting barriers, expressing concern about a potential challenge by the Supreme Court to the Voting Rights Act.

The decision in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council is one of many highly anticipated rulings to be issued this week.

Lucia Brown is a summer editorial intern at Common Dreams.

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The Supreme Court has struck down a controversial Voter ID law in Arizona, an action the ACLU has declared as a "victory."

The law, known as Proposition 200, extended beyond federal policies by requiring applicants to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote. Alabama, Georgia, and Kansas have similar laws.

NBC News reports that civil rights groups see the proposition as an effort to deter legal immigrants from voting. Groups also note that the law would require people to register in person instead of by mail, limiting people's access. Those in favor of the law maintain that it reduces voter fraud.

Brennan Center for Justice Democracy Program Director Wendy Weiser commented in a press release:

Voters scored a huge victory today. We applaud the Supreme Court for confirming Congress's power to protect the right to vote in federal elections. Congress recognized that voter registration must be made more accessible when it passed the National Voter Registration Act, and the Court also affirmed that today.

Weiser concluded her statement by emphasizing all the work that remains to be done to eliminate voting barriers, expressing concern about a potential challenge by the Supreme Court to the Voting Rights Act.

The decision in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council is one of many highly anticipated rulings to be issued this week.

Lucia Brown is a summer editorial intern at Common Dreams.

_____________________

The Supreme Court has struck down a controversial Voter ID law in Arizona, an action the ACLU has declared as a "victory."

The law, known as Proposition 200, extended beyond federal policies by requiring applicants to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote. Alabama, Georgia, and Kansas have similar laws.

NBC News reports that civil rights groups see the proposition as an effort to deter legal immigrants from voting. Groups also note that the law would require people to register in person instead of by mail, limiting people's access. Those in favor of the law maintain that it reduces voter fraud.

Brennan Center for Justice Democracy Program Director Wendy Weiser commented in a press release:

Voters scored a huge victory today. We applaud the Supreme Court for confirming Congress's power to protect the right to vote in federal elections. Congress recognized that voter registration must be made more accessible when it passed the National Voter Registration Act, and the Court also affirmed that today.

Weiser concluded her statement by emphasizing all the work that remains to be done to eliminate voting barriers, expressing concern about a potential challenge by the Supreme Court to the Voting Rights Act.

The decision in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council is one of many highly anticipated rulings to be issued this week.

Lucia Brown is a summer editorial intern at Common Dreams.

_____________________

arizona
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