Louisiana Sues Federal Agency Over Citizenship Check on Voter Forms
Louisiana has sued the U.S. Election Assistance Commission over rejected citizenship language on voter registration forms.
Why it matters: The case highlights ongoing federal–state tensions in election law, particularly on who controls registration requirements. Legal professionals are closely tracking how this lawsuit could clarify or shift the boundaries of state and federal authority over voting rules.
- Louisiana enacted a 2024 law requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration.
- The U.S. Election Assistance Commission denied the state's request for new citizenship language.
- The EAC decision followed a 2-2 tie vote, resulting in automatic denial.
- Noncitizen voter registration in Louisiana has been extremely rare—about 0.014% of voters since 1980.
Louisiana's 2024 law requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration has set off a legal dispute with federal election authorities. After the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) denied the state's request to add citizenship verification language to federal registration forms, Louisiana filed suit, escalating a national debate over state and federal powers in election management.
- Louisiana's lawsuit directly challenges the EAC’s 2-2 split decision, which fell short of granting the state's request.
- Proponents of the law argue it is necessary to ensure only legal votes are counted. State Rep. Beau Beaullieu said, "Every single one of those people who voted illegally, it counted out someone who voted legally."
- However, Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry acknowledged that "noncitizens illegally registering or voting is not a systemic problem in Louisiana."
- Federal data backs this up: since 1980, only 400 noncitizens registered to vote in Louisiana—about 0.014% of the total, with just 83 participating in at least one election.
- The federal SAVE program—a tool for identifying noncitizens—has faced criticism for inaccuracies, including false positives affecting U.S. citizens.
This legal fight underscores broader questions of federalism in election regulation and could affect how far states can go in tailoring federal voter forms. It also spotlights technical and policy challenges with citizenship verification tools.
By the numbers:
- 400 — Noncitizens registered to vote in Louisiana since 1980
- 83 — Noncitizens who actually voted since 1980
- 0.014% — Share of all registered voters in Louisiana flagged as potential noncitizens
Yes, but: The SAVE database used in citizenship screening has a track record of inaccuracies, at times misclassifying U.S. citizens as noncitizens.