{"id":2655039,"date":"2026-09-05T06:08:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T10:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignexclusive-secretaries-of-state-argue-9th-circuit-erased-right-to-remove-noncitizens-from-voter-rolls\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T06:14:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T10:14:30","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignexclusive-secretaries-of-state-argue-9th-circuit-erased-right-to-remove-noncitizens-from-voter-rolls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignexclusive-secretaries-of-state-argue-9th-circuit-erased-right-to-remove-noncitizens-from-voter-rolls\/","title":{"rendered":"Secretaries Of State: 9th Circuit &#8216;Erased&#8217; States&#8217; Election Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignexclusive-secretaries-of-state-argue-9th-circuit-erased-right-to-remove-noncitizens-from-voter-rolls%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2655039&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses a legal dispute over the authority of states to determine voter qualifications versus federal law under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The secretaries of state from Kentucky, Mississippi, and Nebraska argue that a broad interpretation of the NVRA by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals could undermine states\u2019 constitutional rights to set voter requirements, such as requiring proof of U.S. citizenship and removing noncitizens from voter rolls. Thay contend that the NVRA should not preempt state laws that regulate who is eligible to vote, emphasizing the constitutional principle that states traditionally control voter qualifications.The case, identified as RNC v. mi Familia Vota, is set to be debated by the Supreme Court, which previously addressed related issues in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. Supporters of election integrity, including Republican officials, argue that these laws are essential to prevent voter fraud and maintain election security. Conversely, left-leaning groups claim such measures suppress voters. The article highlights ongoing tensions between federal statutes and states&#8217; rights in election law, with key officials urging the Supreme Court to affirm states\u2019 authority to regulate their voter rolls and qualifications, respecting longstanding federalist principles.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals\u2019 \u201cbroad\u201d reading of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/national-voter-registration-act-1993-nvra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Voter Registration Act <\/a>would \u201cobliterate\u201d the states\u2019 constitutionally guaranteed authority over setting voter qualifications, the secretaries of state for three red states argue in an amicus brief filed Friday in arguably the next big election integrity case before the Supreme Court. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotusblog.com\/cases\/republican-national-committee-v-mi-familia-vota-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>RNC v. Mi Familia Vota<\/em><\/a>  is about to test whether states have the right to require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, and whether they can remove noncitizens from their voter rolls within the so-called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/nvra-list-maintenance-guidance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cquiet period\u201d<\/a> 90 days prior to a federal election. <\/p>\n<p>Ultimately at issue is the power of the decades-old NVRA to override states\u2019 rights in determining who can and cannot vote in state-run elections. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the NVRA preempts States from imposing and enforcing a citizen <em>qualification<\/em> to vote in their elections, it creates serious constitutional doubt about the constitutionality of the NVRA itself,\u201d the secretaries of state for Kentucky, Mississippi, and Nebraska argue in the friend-of-the-court brief. <\/p>\n<h2>\u2018The Ninth Circuit Was Wrong\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The Supreme Court will take up, and perhaps settle, the lingering NVRA issues it dealt with 13 years ago in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotusblog.com\/cases\/arizona-v-the-inter-tribal-council-of-arizona-inc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona<\/em><\/a>. In that case, the court ruled that Arizona could not require proof of citizenship on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ballots-cast-without-proof-of-citizenship-exploded-after-lawfare-crippled-arizona-election-laws\/\" title=\"...&#039;s ...s were weakened by ...fare, leading to a significant increase in ballots cast without proof of citizenship\">federal election registration forms<\/a>, on which individuals need only attest that they are U.S. citizens. But the ruling did not bar states from requiring proof of citizenship on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-can-reject-voter-registrations-without-citizenship-proof-court-rules\/\" title=\"... can reject voter ...s without citizenship proof, court rules\">state voter registration forms<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Arizona\u2019s election integrity laws allow applicants without proof of citizenship to register to vote in congressional races but not in presidential elections or by mail. Left-wing activists immediately challenged Arizona\u2019s identification requirements, asserting that the laws violate the 1993 NVRA and disenfranchise voters who cannot provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. <\/p>\n<p>SCOTUS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/docket\/docketfiles\/html\/public\/24a164.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">weighed in<\/a> ahead of the 2024 election, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotusblog.com\/2024\/08\/justices-allow-arizona-to-enforce-proof-of-citizenship-law-for-2024-voter-registration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">granting<\/a> a stay on a lower court decision that sided with the leftist groups but allowing individuals using the federal registration form to vote in the presidential contest and by mail. <\/p>\n<p>Republicans and election-integrity advocates argue that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals \u201cerased\u201d a \u201cconstitutional boundary\u201d in declaring Arizona\u2019s election integrity laws unlawful. The secretaries of state note that the U.S. Constitution \u201cconfers upon States the authority to determine who is qualified to vote\u201d through the <a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/browse\/essay\/artI-S2-C1-2\/ALDE_00001032\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voter qualification clause.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Ninth Circuit was wrong in this case. States determine voter qualifications and perform voter list maintenance. Nothing in the National Voter Registration Act changed this longstanding tenet of federalism,\u201d Nebraska Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/sos.nebraska.gov\/secretary-state-robert-evnen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Robert Evnen<\/a>, told The Federalist exclusively in a statement. <\/p>\n<h2>\u2018That Power Can Never Be Taken Away\u2019 <\/h2>\n<p>Preventing voter fraud is clearly in the interest of the states and the federal government, or at least it should be. Arizona\u2019s law requires election officials \u201cto conduct recurring database checks\u201d and remove confirmed noncitizens from its voter rolls. Democrats and their leftist \u201cvoter rights\u201d groups believe such election integrity provisions amount to \u201cvoter suppression.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Contrary to the left\u2019s assertions, noncitizens are showing up on voter rolls in larger numbers \u2014 and voting in federal elections. In July, New Jersey Democrat Gov. Mikie Sherrill was forced to acknowledge some <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/11\/new-jerseys-software-error-that-registered-6600-noncitizens-is-no-accident\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">6,600 noncitizens <\/a>had been discovered on the Garden State\u2019s voter rolls, and hundreds had voted in recent elections. <\/p>\n<p>The amicus brief argues the 9th Circuit\u2019s ruling unconstitutionally preempts Arizona\u2019s laws and extends <em>Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona<\/em> \u201cwell beyond\u201d its intent, \u201ccollapses the distinction between registration and voting, and treats the NVRA\u2019s 90-day removal safeguard as a prohibition on removing persons who were never eligible to register in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have furiously fought against election integrity measures like voter ID and proof of citizenship. The <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/20\/meet-election-attack-bombshell-with-the-save-act-or-there-wont-be-a-republic-left-to-save\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SAVE America Act, <\/a>an election integrity measure vehemently supported by President Donald Trump, would do what Arizona law does on a national basis. <\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, leftists have attacked the SAVE America Act in part on a states\u2019 rights argument and accused Trump of trying to \u201cfederalize elections,\u201d giving the federal government election administration powers that the Constitution exclusively grants to the states. But Democrats have argued for federalizing voter qualifications through the NVRA and proposed sweeping election administration changes that would gut states\u2019 voter ID requirements. <\/p>\n<p>The Constitution\u2019s elections clause, the secretaries of state argue, \u201cdoes <em>not<\/em> empower Congress to preempt voter qualifications enacted under States\u2019 Qualifications Clause and Seventeenth Amendment authority.\u201d So, if the NVRA can be employed to preempt any state from establishing and enforcing citizens\u2019 qualifications to vote, that raises \u201cserious constitutional doubt about the constitutional validity of the NVRA itself,\u201d the amicus brief asserts. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Constitution is clear: states determine who is eligible to vote in American elections and that power can never be taken away,\u201d said Mississippi Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.ms.gov\/about-us\/biography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michael Watson<\/a> in a statement exclusively provided to The Federalist. He added that the 9th Circuit is attempting to enlarge a decades-old federal law to prohibit states from doing what they are constitutionally allowed to do \u2014 stop noncitizens from registering to vote and remove ineligible registrants from their voter rolls. <\/p>\n<p>Kentucky Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.ky.gov\/Pages\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michael Adams<\/a> told The Federalist that \u201cno court has the power to rewrite the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith its ruling, the Ninth Circuit is trying to strip states of our traditional power over voter eligibility and hand it to Washington,\u201d Adams said in a statement to The Federalist. \u201cThe Supreme Court should reverse the Ninth Circuit and affirm a power the states have held for 250 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>9th Circuit&#8217;s NVRA reading threatens states&#8217; voting powers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2655040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-04-at-8.45.05-PM-1024x572.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[46084,85159,85161,85160,33663],"class_list":["post-2655039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-9th-circuit","tag-election-rights","tag-elections-oversight","tag-secretaries-of-state","tag-voting-laws"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-04-at-8.45.05-PM-1024x572.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2655039"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2655043,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655039\/revisions\/2655043"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2655040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2655039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2655039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2655039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}