The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Arizona's voter identification law in a case involving tribal interests.

Proposition 200 violates the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993, the court ruled in a 2-1 decision. The majority said the state can't require voters to go an extra step to prove they are U.S. citizens.

"Congress enacted the NVRA to increase federal registration by streamlining the registration process and eliminating complicated state-imposed hurdles to registration, which it determined were driving down voter turnout rates," the majority wrote. "Proposition 200 imposes such a hurdle."

The Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona and the Hopi Tribe are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Turtle Talk has posted documents from the case, Gonzales v. State of Arizona.

Get the Story:
Appeals court strikes down voter ID law (The Arizona Republic 10/27) Arizona law requiring proof of voter citizenship struck down (The Tucson Sentinel 10/26)

9th Circuit Decision:
Gonzales v. State of Arizona (October 26, 2010)

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