Arizona
KJZZ: Ruling: Arizona counties must reject state voter registration forms without proof of citizenship
Camryn Sanchez of KJZZ and Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services report on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to require that anyone registering to vote using a state form is required to provide proof of citizenship, and if they don’t, the application must be rejected.
Arizona won’t be able to block those who sign up to vote using a federal registration form from casting a ballot in the presidential race — at least not now.
In a brief order Thursday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a plea by Republican legislative leaders to delay a ruling by a trial judge barring enforcement of such a ban. In the same order, the three-judge panel also said those using that federal form still can cast their ballots by mail.
What the judges decided, however, is that anyone who tries to register to vote using a state form is required at the same time to provide documented proof of citizenship. More to the point, if they do not, the application must now be rejected.
That overturns what had been occurring.
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said the practice until now has been that registration requests using the state form that did not also have proof of citizenship automatically were put into the “federal only” category, as if the applicants had submitted a federal form. Richer said he and the other 14 county recorders will stop doing that.