Attorney General Terry Goddard has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the state to continue requiring voters to provide photo identification when they cast a ballot.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction last week barring the state from enforcing Proposition 200 during the Nov. 7 general election.
Approved by voters in 2004, the law requires voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote and show their photo IDs when they go to the polls. The law was meant to make sure illegal immigrants weren’t casting ballots.
Opponents of the law contend its unintended consequences include discouraging some people from voting, including the elderly, poor and disadvantaged who don’t always carry ID.
U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver ruled the state could enforce the law, but that was overruled after a two-judge panel from the 9th Circuit issued the injunction. The appellate panel earlier this week denied the state’s request to reconsider its ruling, prompting Mr. Goddard to petition Justice Anthony Kennedy, asking that the injunction be blocked.
Mr. Goddard’s petition, filed on Oct. 13, contends that “voter registration at the polls is an emerging issue of national importance. States have a compelling interest in curbing fraud and protecting the integrity of elections.”
His 30-page brief also said the injunction issued “is demonstrably wrong” and that the state would be irreparably harmed if it could not enforce its citizen-approved ID requirements for the Nov. 7 general election. Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.