[JURIST] Kansas and Arizona on Wednesday filed notice of an appeal to the US Supreme Court [official website] asking that federal elections officials force residents of their states to prove US citizenship before registering to vote. In November the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit [official website] ruled [JURIST report] that the two states cannot demand help from federal officials to enforce state laws requiring new voters to submit US citizenship documentation. The appeal overturned a May 2014 decision by US District Judge Eric Melgren that required [JURIST report] the US Election Assistance Commission [official website] to revise its federal voter registration form to add state-specific citizenship requirements.

Debate over voter ID laws [JURIST backgrounder] has sparked continuing controversy in the US. Earlier this month the Supreme Court allowed Wisconsin’s voter ID law to stand [JURIST report], refusing to rule on an appeal. In October the Supreme Court allowed [JURIST report] Texas to enforce a strict 2011 voter ID law requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls. Also in October the Arkansas Supreme Court [official website] struck down [JURIST report] that state’s voter ID law, finding it unconstitutional.