Case Summary

In 2004, 2017, and 2023, Arizona passed repeated laws designed to make it harder for Latino citizens to register to vote in federal elections. Each time, LULAC immediately filed suit to block the laws and defeated them—through a Supreme Court victory, a Consent Decree, and most recently in the Ninth Circuit.

“LULAC has consistently challenged laws that attempt to disenfranchise voters,” said Lydia Guzman, LULAC National Immigration Chair, of the most recent lawsuit. “In 2004 LULAC sued Arizona for requiring proof of citizenship, and our position remains the same: such requirements are only intended to prevent minorities and people of color from voting.”

“Let no one doubt the power of LULAC in 2024. Our community is witnessing one of the most critical decision points in our history, and every one of our votes is vital,” said Ray Mancera, LULAC National Vice President for the Southwest. “We are in action and determined to fight for the right to every lawful vote to which we are entitled. This is our country, too, earned through blood, sweat, and tears.”

In 2004, Arizona passed a law requiring people to provide documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) when registering to vote. This added hurdle serves mostly to disenfranchise Latino communities by discriminating against recently naturalized citizens and citizens without easy access to identification documents. LULAC and several other organizations sued, and in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona the Supreme Court held that the new plan unconstitutionally restricted the right to vote in federal elections.

Undeterred, in 2017 Arizona adopted a new voter registration system making it harder to register to vote in federal elections without providing DPOC. LULAC sued, and in LULAC v. Reagan Arizona ultimately agreed to a consent decree which streamlined the process of registering to vote in federal elections without DPOC.

In 2022, however, Arizona abrogated that consent decree, restoring the 2017 system and also adding a host of other discriminatory requirements to federal-only voters, such as forbidding them to vote in presidential elections or to vote by mail. LULAC and other groups both sued to block Arizona’s new law. After over a year of litigation, LULAC has recently won a major victory in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Legal Documents

01/22/2025 The 2025 Ninth Circuit Opinion

02/10/2025 The 2017 Consent Decree

10/15/2012 The 2012 SCOTUS Opinion:

Further Reading

Feb 26, 2025, US Appeals Court Strikes Down Provisions of Arizona Laws Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote