Immigrant advocacy group challenges voter registration law for some citizens

The Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance has filed a lawsuit against the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office claiming that a voter registration requirement for naturalized citizens is illegal.

In the lawsuit, MIRA says that Mississippi’s voter registration requirements for naturalized citizens are more stringent that for citizens born in the U.S. A naturalized citizen must show his or her naturalization certificate or similar proof of citizenship before being allowed to register. For those born in the U.S., they only have to check a box to certify their citizenship.

“An important part of our work of MIRA involves helping applicants complete the naturalization process – and with registering to vote. We help folks with their applications, interviews, obtaining approvals, and navigating bureaucratic hurdles through the swearing-in ceremony and beyond,” said Bill Chandler, MIRA executive director, in a statement.

“There is no reason to treat naturalized citizens any differently than other citizens. This law is grounded in white supremacy, xenophobia and racism, and should therefore be abolished.”

According to the suit, the difference in the two requirements is unconstitutional because it discriminates against one group of citizens. It also claims that no similar laws exist anywhere in the U.S.

“Mississippi’s discriminatory proof of citizenship requirement, which dates back to the Jim Crow era, constitutes a textbook violation of the United States Constitution,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, who, along with the Mississippi Center for Justice, the Law Office of Robert McDuff, and the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, represents MIRA in the suit.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that Mississippi’s naturalized citizen population has increased by more than 50 percent between 2000 and 2015 to roughly 26,000. Mississippi’s naturalized citizen population is predominantly non-white: about 12,000 were born in Asia, 8,000 were born in Latin America, 4,000 in Europe and 1,500 in Africa.

“Our democracy only works when every legitimate voter can exercise their fundamental right to cast a ballot that counts,” Clarke said. “This is yet another unfortunate example of how Mississippi’s antiquated voting laws and procedures hurt people of color.”