(The Center Square) – Louisiana has sued the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, saying the federal agency unlawfully blocked the state from adding citizenship-verification instructions to the national voter registration form.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, stems from Act 500, a 2024 law requiring proof of U.S. citizenship with a voter registration application. After the law took effect, state officials asked the Election Assistance Commission, or EAC, to update Louisiana’s state-specific instructions on the federal mail voter registration form so election officials could collect information the state says is needed to confirm eligibility.
The agency rejected the request.
“Only citizens should vote in Louisiana elections,” Attorney General Liz Murrill said. “The Election Assistance Commission should not be getting in the way of the State’s sovereign right to protect the integrity of its elections.”
In the lawsuit, Louisiana says the commission’s decision interferes with the state’s constitutional authority to set voter qualifications and enforce election laws. The complaint says the agency acted arbitrarily and capriciously and unlawfully refused to let Louisiana obtain information it says is necessary to verify citizenship.
According to the complaint, Louisiana first submitted its request in January 2025, then later supplemented it with additional information and data. The state said election officials needed added identifying information to check citizenship against existing databases while keeping most of the verification burden on the state rather than the applicant.
The suit says Louisiana proposed two options. One would have asked applicants to provide a unique immigration identifier or, if they did not have one, their place of birth, sex and mother’s maiden name if known. The other would have required that information as an attachment to the federal form.
The commission ultimately split 2-2 on the request, leaving Louisiana without approval because federal law requires a majority vote.
Louisiana also cites its review of voter rolls, saying that as of May 2025, 403 noncitizens were found on the rolls. According to the complaint, 83 of those individuals voted in Louisiana elections, casting a combined 440 votes.
The state is asking the court to throw out the commission’s decision, declare the agency’s action unlawful and block the federal government from preventing Louisiana from collecting the information it says is needed to confirm voter eligibility. It is also asking the court to declare part of the National Voter Registration Act unconstitutional if it gives the commission discretion to refuse the request.
