Rock the Vote Statement on Supreme Court Decision in Arizona v. ITCA
Below is Rock the Vote President Heather Smith’s statement on today’s Supreme Court ruling in the Arizona v. ITCA case.
Today, we applaud the Supreme Court’s ruling that the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), also known as Motor Voter, preempts Arizona’s law that requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Motor Voter was passed in 1993 with the express intent to increase the number of eligible citizens who register to vote in elections for Federal office, and established a uniform federal voter registration form for such purposes.
This decision holds that states must use and accept that federal voter registration, and reinforces the critical role that the NVRA plays.
Rock the Vote was closely involved in the passage of the Motor Voter law twenty years ago, filed an Amicus brief in this Arizona v. ITCA case, and most importantly has worked for the past two decades to ensure that the voter registration process does not prevent eligible citizens, especially our nation’s youth, from participating in elections.
Rock the Vote stands in support of the Court’s decision today, and will continue our work to push forward, in the vein of NVRA, policies and procedures that make our voter registration and elections systems work for all citizens.
About Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote’s mission is to engage and build political power for young people in our country. Rock the Vote works with artists and musicians to engage young people in the political process. Over the last two decades, Rock the Vote has registered more young people to vote than any other organization or campaign, including more than a million people in 2012’s elections, and has become the best-informed place online where young people can find out what they need to know before casting a ballot.