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in a suit in federal court.

Civil rights groups the Georgia NAACP, the Georgia Coalition for the People鈥檚 Agenda, and Project Vote, along with Marvin Brown and JoAnn Brown, also join the suit against the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC).

In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that Arizona could not require documentary proof of citizenship on the federal registration form without EAC approval. Kansas implemented a law similar to Arizona鈥檚 the same year, and both states put proof of citizenship requirements into effect for voters using their state forms. Subsequently, the EAC and a federal court ruled it invalid for the federal form. Alabama and Georgia, which passed similar provisions in 2011 and 2009, respectively, had not implemented their laws. Research shows do not have documentary proof of citizenship, and have been blocked from registering to vote in the state.

On January 29, 2016, Newby sent letters to the secretaries of state of Alabama, Georgia, and Kansas stating, without further explanation, that he would allow the three states to require citizenship documents for applicants using the federal registration form. If the documents, such as birth certificates or passports, are not provided, Americans will be denied the fundamental right to vote. The federal form is designed to guarantee a 鈥�,鈥� and already requires applicants to swear that they are U.S. citizens under penalty of perjury.

The executive director did not have authority to allow the three states to enforce documentary proof of citizenship requirements on the federal form, and doing so violated both EAC policy and federal law, according to a complaint submitted today by the with pro bono counsel at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP; the Lawyers鈥� Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the American Civil Liberties Union with pro bono counsel Steptoe & Johnson LLP; and Project Vote with pro bono counsel Arnold & Porter LLP.

Documentary proof of citizenship requirements undermine the groups鈥� efforts to increase civic participation and make it more difficult for individuals to vote, according to the court filing.

The suit is brought in response to Executive Director Newby鈥檚 sudden and unexplained decision to allow three states to require applicants using the federal registration form to show documents proving their citizenship.

Nearly identical requests from Arizona and Kansas have already been rejected by the EAC multiple times. Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court from Arizona and Kansas to hear , thereby letting stand a 10th Circuit ruling that the states may not force applicants using the federal voter registration form to show documents.

Key post-filing dates & updates: On February 18, 2016, the ACLU and others filed suit and moved for a preliminary stay of Newby鈥檚 action, a motion which the district court denied on June 29. We appealed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and on September 9, the court reversed the district court鈥檚 decision, blocking the new registration requirements from coming into effect until the suit is decided. The ruling allows hundreds of voters in Alabama, Kansas, and Arizona to register to vote again.