If you want to know why more and more Americans are distrusting our elections, a ruling out of Arizona will give you a better idea.
Arizona's State Supreme Court ruled that nearly 100,000 registered voters without proof of citizenship are eligible to vote in the upcoming election.
Talking Points…
- Arizona Supreme Court ruling
- Reactions by both parties
- Analysis
In what some outlets called a "clerical error," nearly 100,000 people can vote despite not providing proof of citizenship. In Arizona, believe it or not, those registered can still vote in federal elections without proof of citizenship. The fight here was whether to give them a full ballot, which would allow them to vote in state and local elections as well as the federal election.
Since 2005, Arizona has required that all voters show proof of citizenship to vote in local and state elections. Arizona state law considered anyone with a valid driver's license issued after October 1996 proof of citizenship, but the voters caught up in the "error" were those whose license was issued before that date, or roughly 2.5% of all registered voters.
According to reports, this would have impacted Maricopa County the most, which is a red district. Of the registered voters who would have been disqualified, 37% are Republicans, and 27% are Democrats. The remainder are either third-party or independent voters. Chief Justice Ann Scott Timmer announced the ruling, stating:
"We are unwilling on these facts to disenfranchise voters en masse from participating in state contests."
Normally, I would have expected the GOP to lose its mind over this ruling, but that was not the case. Both sides seemed satisfied with how the court ruled. Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes stated:
"Today marks a significant victory for those whose fundamental right to vote was under scrutiny. The court faced a stark choice: to allow voters to participate in just a few federal races on a limited ballot, or to make their voices heard across hundreds of decisions on a full ballot that includes a variety of local and state offices.
"We deeply appreciate the Arizona Supreme Court for their prompt and just resolution."
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who filed the suit, thanked the court for its "quick review" of the matter. He added:
"[Arizona] Supreme Court ruled for defendant (Fontes). The 100k registrants will continue to vote a full ballot this election. Thank God."
The Arizona Republican Party had filed an amicus brief saying that disallowing these people to vote would violate the National Voters Registration Act (NVRA). State GOP chair Gina Swoboda added:
"Nearly 100,000 Arizona voters should not be penalized for a mistake made by the government."
The odd thing about this is that Donald Trump and Republicans have been fighting against this in other states. Yet, in this particular state where it would benefit the GOP to look past the proof of citizenship, the party is arguing to allow the voters to vote. This will be brought up when Trump and Republicans fight this exact situation in other states or if Trump loses and tries to blame it on non-citizens voting.
