The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Arizona residents must show proof of U.S. citizenship to use the state voter registration form.
“Today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of election integrity! Voters in Arizona who register with the state and do not provide proof of citizenship will be rejected,” the Arizona Senate Republican Caucus said.
“This is a victory for election integrity in Arizona. Only U.S. citizens should be allowed to vote in our elections. It sounds like common sense, but the radical left elected officials in our state continue to reject this notion, disrespecting the voices of our lawful Arizona voters. We are grateful the court is upholding this provision in our law, and it’s time for Congress to take action to ensure only lawful U.S. citizens are voting in federal races,” Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, a Republican, commented.
🚨BREAKING: Today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of election integrity! Voters in Arizona who register with the state and do not provide proof of citizenship will be rejected.
"This is a victory for election integrity in Arizona. Only U.S. citizens should be… pic.twitter.com/IjNCv9lSmz
— AZSenateRepublicans (@AZSenateGOP) July 18, 2024
Votebeat reports:
Previously, residents without citizenship documents would have been allowed to use the state form, which almost all Arizonans use, to get registered, but they could vote only in federal elections — for U.S. House, Senate and president. That’s because Arizona law requires voters to provide proof of citizenship to register, whereas federal law requires only an attestation that a voter is a citizen, but not documentation proving it.
Under a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the state must permit voters who registered without citizenship proof to cast ballots in federal elections, so Arizona has maintained separate rolls of so-called federal-only voters.
Thursday’s decision, by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, granted a partial stay of a lower-court ruling that struck down newer Arizona laws on federal-only voters. As long as the stay is in place, those voters can register to vote and cast ballots in federal elections only if they use a federal voter registration form, something few people currently do.
The outlet noted that the stay will remain in place until an appeals panel hears the case, which is currently scheduled for September.
“D***ing that Dems fought so hard to allow registration to vote without proof of citizenship!” Elon Musk commented.
Damning that Dems fought so hard to allow registration to vote without proof of citizenship! https://t.co/a9HXtpJfOM
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 19, 2024
Per Just the News:
A 2018 consent decree required election officials to accept state voter registration forms for residents who didn’t provide proof of U.S. citizenship. The court’s stay reverses that decree.
Roughly a dozen voting rights groups have challenged the 2022 laws regarding federal-only voters, claiming the laws violate federal law and are discriminatory.
Arizona state Senate President Warren Peterson, a Republican, said the ruling is “a victory for election integrity in Arizona.”