Elena Babushkina

Under the Fourteenth Amendment, citizenship is defined at the federal level, and states do not have the authority to create independent systems of citizenship or impose additional requirements that effectively redefine who qualifies as a citizen. The Constitution and federal law establish that states may regulate the mechanics of elections, but they may not enact rules that impose undue burdens on the right to vote or discriminate against lawful citizens. The Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed that voting is a fundamental right, and any law that restricts access must meet strict constitutional standards which this does not.