Supreme Court to Review Arizona Voter Purges Within 90 Days of Elections
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 29
Supreme Court to Review Arizona Voter Purges Within 90 Days of Elections
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 29
Summary
The justices will decide whether Arizona can run broad voter-roll purges in the final 90 days before an election while also reviewing the state’s proof-of-citizenship registration rules.
At the center is the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, which bars “systematic” removals during that quiet period; Arizona, Republicans and the Trump administration argue non-citizen purges should be exempt.
The case also targets a 2022 Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship for people using the state registration form, even though federal-only voters have long been allowed to register without it for federal races.
Arizona and other states say database matching is needed to keep rolls clean, but critics warn such programs can wrongly flag citizens and note 9% of Americans lack easy access to qualifying citizenship documents.
The dispute will not be resolved before the midterms, but it could reshape voter-list maintenance nationwide as Trump-backed efforts to tighten voting rules increasingly shift from Congress to the courts and states.
As courts question federal data, how can states verify voter citizenship without disenfranchising eligible voters?
Will the Supreme Court's ruling shift the balance of power in how American elections are run?
Arizona’s Voter Laws Under Supreme Court Scrutiny: The Battle Over Proof of Citizenship, Voter Purges, and Federal Voting Rights
Overview
In June 2026, the Supreme Court declined to decide whether Arizona could require proof of citizenship for mail-in ballots, leaving in place a lower court ruling that blocks this provision. As a result, the requirement for proof of citizenship for mail-in voting remains unenforceable. Earlier decisions by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals continue to bar enforcement of several Arizona voter-registration laws, including those that would reject state-form applicants lacking citizenship proof. These actions highlight ongoing legal battles over Arizona’s election laws and maintain protections for voter access under federal law.