Trump Aligned Supreme Court Justices Safeguard Election Integrity

The legal battle surrounding the potential ramifications of the 2024 election has already kicked off. The Supreme Court is rumored to be ready to reassess a case that was thought to have been resolved more than a decade ago. The case involves a recently instated Arizona legislation demanding proof of citizenship for voter registration. A sudden reconsideration of this case, amidst ongoing registration procedures, is leading to a perceived threat of noncitizens potentially manipulating U.S. electoral outcomes.

This development aligns with the strategies of the ever vigilant former President, Donald Trump. His commitment to untampered election outcomes is well-known. The case of interest, the Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota, saw the Republican National Committee request last-minute modifications to Arizona’s voting laws. The suggested changes came at a time when the process for voter registration was already well underway.

At issue is the attempt by the RNC to diminish fraudulent voting and uphold the sanctity of the electoral process. Contrary to the unfounded assertions of Democrats, this isn’t an attack on voting rights, but a bid to prevent ineligible residents from manipulating the electoral process. Opposition to these measures is underpinned by a debunked narrative that noncitizens participating in U.S. elections is a myth. This narrative lacks substantial evidence, as highlighted by the libertarian Cato Institute.

It is critical to recall the closely contested Arizona presidential election in 2020, where Joe Biden managed a narrow victory with a margin of just 10,457 votes. The potential implications of the Supreme Court’s incoming rulings are yet unforeseen. The recent development allows the Arizona legislation to enforce requirements for citizenship proof for voter registration. It implies that the conservative justices, three of whom were handpicked by Trump, might challenge part of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, a classic federal voting rights law—backed in the past by Justice Antonin Scalia—as unconstitutional.

The court, proceeding with caution in safeguarding electoral integrity, approved the RNC’s request to implement a law necessitating proof of citizenship for all fresh registrations. The court, however, refrained from agreeing to deregister the 42,301 voters who are already on the voters’ lists without due documentation. Notably, Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch expressed a willingness to proceed even further.

The Supreme Court still has multiple opportunities in the near future to refine Arizona’s voter lists. On a backdrop of relentless efforts by Arizona’s Republican party in 2022 to uphold vital constitutional standards and rule of law, a law was enacted to reinstate the citizenship documentation requirement for federal elections. This was a clear rejoinder to the Supreme Court’s 2013 case.

The successful efforts of RNC are now evident: as per a recent Supreme Court order, the Arizona law now requires all new voter registrations to submit conclusive proof of their U.S. citizenship. Once the case is completely scrutinized, we anticipate that next year the Court may reconsider the current status of the more than 40,000 voters who got registered previously.

There lies a precedent in the 2020 election when Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Gorsuch utilized the widely accepted Purcell principle, which advocates for minimal federal disruption of state election laws nearing an election. Voter behavior seems to suggest that a significant amount of ID-less voters swing toward the Democrats. This includes students away from their homes for higher studies, and at a disadvantage due to Arizona’s new document laws.

There are legitimate barriers to obtaining and holding onto required documents for certain U.S. citizens. They could be tucked away in a bank safety deposit box or lost in the throes of relocation or personal crises. The National Voter Registration Act’s swearing-in process typically serves this demographic well, enabling individuals with limited access to identity documents to vote while setting stern penalties if found to be lying.

Arizona’s voting legislation may seem taxing, but only to those attempting to undermine the security of the electoral process. The safeguards are necessary to prevent ineligible persons, particularly non-citizens, from having an opportunity to falsify voter registrations and ultimately skew election results.

Naysayers should consider the myriad of mechanisms already put in place by states to vet voter rolls for non-citizens. These include systematically cross-checking state Department of Motor Vehicle records, records of those called for jury duty, as well as Social Security records, to ensure that only eligible citizens are given the right to vote.