The Right to Vote Should Not Be an Obstacle Course

A law passed by the last legislature requiring persons who desire to register to produce their naturalization papers, or certified copies thereof, was declared invalid by Judge Langley. This interesting question was brought to an issue in a suit two weeks ago by Matt Brannagan against George J. Stoneman, the city clerk of Seattle. Judge Langley overruled the demurrer of respondent and granted the relator's writ of mandate, instructing Clerk Stoneman to register Brannagan as a voter. The judge held that all that is required of Brannagan to qualify as a voter is to take an oath to his residence and citizenship.

The judge noted that if the registration officer were allowed to enforce this law, it would compel the adopted citizen to be always prepared to prove his citizenship in court. It would not be enough to prove it once, but he would have to repeat it at every recurring election. Furthermore, it creates a class qualification for registration, effectively discriminating against the foreign-born, and places an unfair burden on those whose fathers were naturalized years ago and whose records have since been lost or destroyed. The court concluded that such strict proof only hampers voters' rights and serves no constitutional purpose.