WASHINGTON, DC - After the Supreme Court ruled that Arizona violated the U.S. Constitution when its election officials failed to accept and use a mail voter registration form, containing a signed citizenship oath but not requiring the attachment of citizenship documents, which was adopted to implement the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), Eliseo Medina, Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement:

Today is a great day for voting rights in Arizona and in America. The U.S. Supreme Court rightly decided that the states could not impose burdensome and duplicative proof of citizenship requirements on eligible voters which conflict with a federal law designed ensure that they can register to vote. When Congress adopted the NVRA, also known as the Motor Voter Law, it created a comprehensive system which insures that all eligible citizens can freely exercise their right to register to vote. The Arizona law overturned by the Supreme Court today clearly interfered with that right.

"However, this case is just one victory in the fight against voter suppression laws. Too many states now have voter identification laws that disenfranchise the elderly, young people, the disabled and anyone who lacks a government issued ID. Going forward, we need to continue the fight to make sure that all those eligible are able to vote without unnecessary or burdensome barriers."

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