A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to help Kansas and Arizona enforce laws requiring new voters to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship, according to USA Today.

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren in Wichita, Kan., ruled the commission has no legal authority to deny requests from Kansas and Arizona to add state-specific instructions to a national voter registration form after their top election officials: secretaries of state Kris Kobach of Kansas and Ken Bennett of Arizona both sued the agency to force the action, USA Today reported.

Both states require new voters to provide a birth certificate, passport or other documentation to prove their U.S. citizenship to election officials, according to USA Today. The federal registration form requires only that prospective voters sign a statement declaring they are citizens.

While most voters in both states register with state forms, their officials said the availability of the federal form created a loophole as they tried to enforce the proof-of-citizenship requirements, USA Today reported.

Kobach and others argue that the requirements preclude voter fraud by preventing non-citizens from voting, particularly those in the country illegally, according to USA Today.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, another conservative Republican, said election fraud is a serious problem but that "a cover-up by the media" has prevented people from knowing the true extent of the problem, USA Today reported.

Democratic Arizona state Sen. Steve Gallardo, who joined the lawsuit on the side of the Election Assistance Commission, said a proof-of-citizenship requirement makes it harder for minorities and the elderly to register, according to USA Today. He said it is also designed to weed out progressive voters, particularly college students.

"These are new voters that are getting active," Gallardo said, USA Today reported. "They tend to be a lot more progressive and liberal ... particularly when it comes to issues like medical marijuana, same sex marriage, more progressive-type issues. That's what this ruling does now - it makes it more difficult for this segment of voters, students, to vote."