Overview
- The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the Arkansas appeal Monday, leaving in place a 2025 Eighth Circuit ruling that prevents private individuals and groups from suing to enforce Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act.
- Section 208 allows voters with disabilities or who cannot read or write to get help from a person of their choice at the polls, and the appeals-court decision applies to Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
- The underlying lawsuit began when Arkansas United challenged a state law that barred non-poll workers from helping more than six voters and a 2022 federal judge found that law violated Section 208 before the appeals court limited private enforcement.
- Because only the U.S. attorney general can now bring Section 208 suits in the Eighth Circuit, legal observers say the number of voting-rights cases is likely to fall given the Justice Department’s limited resources and shifting enforcement priorities.
- Coverage frames differ: outlets and advocates describe the decision as further erosion of VRA protections and a practical barrier for voters who need assistance, while state officials say the law protects against undue influence and that poll workers can help without limit.