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Arizona voters just received a massive win for voting integrity. HB2492 will safeguard Arizona’s state voter rolls and ensure that only U.S. citizens are voting in the elections.
This seems like legislation that everyone would like to get behind, but there are some Democrats who have a problem with it.
The policy would require verification that a voter is an American citizen and also an Arizona resident to vote.
House Bill 2492 was introduced in January by Representative Jake Hoffman. It passed on February 26 in a 31-26 vote with three abstentions. None of the House’s Democrats supported the policy.
The Democrats’ problem wit the bill is that it rolls back over a decade of sneaky legal attacks on Arizona’s ability to ensure only lawful U.S. citizens can vote.
HB2492 accomplishes this by:
- Taking Arizona back to the practice of rejecting state voter registration applications that do not include proof of citizenship.
- Requiring counties to check multiple databases for evidence of citizenship when an individual submits a federal application without proof.
- Requiring counties to reject those federal applications if they find evidence that the individual is, in fact, not a U.S. citizen.
Senator Warren Petersen made sure to stress the serious implications of having non-U.S. citizens voting in our elections and the effects it could and has had.
He said that there are 35,000 registered voters with unconfirmed citizenship in Arizona.
What is the issue? The issue is making sure that citizens of this country are voting and if you’re not a citizen of this country you’re not allowed to vote,” Petersen said.
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Under the policy, an individual will need to prove their American citizenship, be over the age of 18, and have resided in Arizona for 29 days prior to the election. Election authorities will need to verify citizenship and reject voter registrations for those whose citizenship cannot be verified.
“Any application for registration, including an application on a form prescribed by the United States Election Assitance Commission must contain a checkmark or other appropriate mark in the ‘Yes’ box next to the question regarding citizenship as a condition of being properly registered to vote as either a voter who is eligible to vote a full ballot or a voter who is eligible to vote only with a ballot for federal offices,” the bill reads.
Proof of citizenship is also required for people wanting to vote early by mail.
On March 23, Arizona’s senate passed the policy in a 16-12 vote.
“The Arizona legislature should be applauded for taking action and passing HB2492,” Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project Action said, “Only citizens should vote in American elections. Requiring proof of citizenship to register is a fundamental safeguard for the integrity of elections, and states should be doing all they can to verify citizenship and ensure that the votes of citizens are not canceled out by ineligible voters.”
“This voter integrity bill is necessary, timely, reasonable, and constitutional, and it upholds the principle of making it easier to vote but harder to cheat,” Snead said.
The bill will now be sent to Governor Ducey to either sign or veto.
