You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
This week to Arizona, where Republican Governor Doug Ducey has signed HB 2492, which imposes a “proof of citizenship” requirement to vote for all Arizona voters.
After 1996, Arizona required proof of citizenship for any new driver’s licenses, allowing a driver’s license to be used when registering to vote. But voters in prior years could swear to citizenship, subject to civil penalty for inaccurate information.
The Arizona Republic reports that under HB 2492, an estimated192,000 voters, many of whom have been voting for decades, will now have to provide citizenship documents before voting this fall. Many of these voters will be unaware of the changes and may become disenfranchised.
This also sets up a showdown with federal law. A subset of Arizona voters use a federal voter registration form, which allows qualified voters to vote in federal, but not state, elections, often used by Native American voters, some of whom do not have birth certificates or other citizenship documents. A 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision upheld the sworn citizenship for this U.S. Election Assistance Commission form.
HB2492 was proposed by an Arizona legislator implicated in the “fake electors” scheme, supporting the now debunked claims of voter fraud around the country.
Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it’s something we DO.”
For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.