The Supreme Court ruled states can't require those registering to vote to prove they are citizens of the United States before using a government registration system intended to make signing up easier.
The 7-2 vote among the justices threw out the Arizona's Proposition 200, the provision that required aspiring voters to provide greater documentation of their citizenship in this country, reported the Associated Press.
During its review the Supreme Court deliberated the Arizona-backed prerequisite under the federal "motor voter" registration law.
Those against the Arizona law, feel the legislation with unfairly target Latinos and other immigrant groups that are typically considered vulnerable in these types of situations.
According to the AP, more than 31,000 potentially legal voters in Arizona could have registered before Proposition 200 but were hampered by the law in the nearly two-year period following its passing in 2004. About 20 percent of those were Latino.
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alto were the two that voted to support the provision.
Under the Constitution, Justice Thomas argued, states are authorized "to determine the qualifications of voters in federal elections, which necessarily includes the related power to determine whether those qualifications are satisfied."
According to KTXL Fox 40, Arizona said the provision was a "sensible precaution" to prevent instances of voter fraud.
Justice Antonin Scalia said 1993's National Voter Registration Act "forbids states to demand an applicant submit additional information beyond that required by the federal for."
But putting power back in the hands of the state, Scalia also said the federal law "does not prevent states from denying registration based on any information in their possession establishing the applicants' eligibility."
A federal Election Assistance Commission was created in 2002 to oversee and enforce a national standard in voter registration.
During the 2012 presidential election, there were a number of instances where voter rights were challenged, shedding light on recent procedures surrounding unfair registration protocol and disenfranchisement.
