Arizona’s “proof-of-citizenship” voter registration law is being revisited in a federal court.
An 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is reconsidering a 2010 ruling that the requirement to present proof of citizenship in order to register to vote conflicted with federal election law.
“Civil rights groups that challenged Arizona’s law argued that thousands of people have had their federal registration forms rejected because they failed to provide documents required by the state,” the Associated Press’ Paul Davenport reports.
Now, state Attorney General Tom Horne argues in defense of the law, claiming it is not as burdensome because most voters could provide “a number from a driver’s license, tribal identification card or certificate of naturalization, not…an actual document.” Of course, obtaining some of these less burdensome documents requires an “actual document.”
The state brief also asserts that this is a necessary measure to maintain accurate voter registration lists.
“In the two-judge majority in the October ruling, Judge Sandra Ikuta said the state cannot impose more onerous requirements than those laid out under the National Voter Registration Act.”
Read more about the October 2010 decision here.