A federal appeals court extended its order allowing Kansas and Arizona residents to continue registering to vote using a federal form without having to show proof of citizenship. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its order late Monday and granted an expedited hearing on the merits of the case sought by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and voting rights groups. Earlier this month, the appeals court issued its emergency stay of U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren’s ruling ordering the commission to immediately modify its federal voter registration form to add special instructions for Arizona and Kansas residents about those states’ proof-of-citizenship requirements.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has said if the law is stayed, he would implement a system like Arizona’s in which voters who registered with the federal form can vote only in federal races.
The commission has argued that Melgren’s decision would discourage voters from registering for federal elections and would hurt voter registration drives.
Federal election officials and their supporters contend that the federal form provides an important backstop allowing participation of all eligible voters in federal elections, regardless of “onerous” requirements that states may place to vote in their own elections.