On Monday, Brian Newby, the executive director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) suddenly, unilaterally, and illegally decided to issue letters adding “proof of citizenship” requirements to federal voter registration forms used in Kansas, Alabama, and Georgia. The EAC is the federal agency charged with developing and maintaining a standardized, uniform federal voter registration form as required by the National Voter Registration Act. Proof of citizenship requirements are significant obstacles to voter registration, as they require eligible citizens to provide a birth certificate, passport, or other difficult-to-obtain documents prior to being registered to vote.Until Monday, the EAC’s policy was that the federal voter registration form must be consistent across all U.S. states and territories and that state-specific forms were neither legal nor in alignment with the goal of easing access to the ballot by eligible citizens.