Arcia v. Florida Secretary of State
2014 Eleventh Circuit ruling that Florida's non-citizen voter purge broke the NVRA's 90-day rule.
Arcia's 2014 holding that Florida's citizenship purge broke the 90-day rule now faces the Supreme Court, where the United States backed the Republican National Committee on 16 October 2026 ahead of argument on 8 December.
Last refreshed: 18 October 2026
Timeline for Arcia v. Florida Secretary of State
Mentioned in: Stephen Richer briefs the citizenship-proof issue
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: US backs RNC in Mi Familia Vota case
US Midterms 2026Background
Arcia v. Florida Secretary of State, 772 F.3d 1335 (11th Cir. 2014), is a ruling of the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, filed on 1 April 2014 in case No. 12-15738. On a 2-1 vote, the Court reversed a district court ruling for Florida.
In 2012 Florida's secretary of state ran two programmes to find and remove suspected non-citizens from the voter rolls before that year's federal elections. the Court held this was a programme to systematically remove ineligible voters, which the National Voter Registration Act requires states to finish at least 90 days before a federal election. It added that the rule does not bar removals based on individual information inside that window.
It is the leading appeals ruling on whether the 90-day quiet period covers citizenship checks. That question returned after the Supreme Court restored bulk SAVE checks in September 2026, and is now before it in Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota.
The 90-day question returns to court
Arcia answered the question in 2014 for the Eleventh Circuit. Florida's 2012 check began with about 180,000 names and ended with fewer than 100 removals, and the Court held it was a systematic programme barred inside the 90 days.
the Supreme Court reopened that ground on 25 September 2026. Restoring bulk SAVE citizenship checks, it left the reach of the quiet period to Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota. On 16 October the United States filed in support of the Republicans and asked for time at the 8 December argument. A narrow reading would let states keep removing suspected non-citizens close to polling day, which is what Arcia forbade. Argument falls after 3 November, so the ruling governs later elections.
What did Arcia v. Florida Secretary of State decide?
Does the NVRA 90-day rule stop states removing non-citizens?
When was Arcia v. Florida Secretary of State decided?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 18 October 2026. Editorial standards.