(ConservativeInsider.org) – Federal law states that all voters in a federal election must be citizens of the United States. However, the federal voter registration form simply asks the applicant if they are a citizen without requiring them to provide proof. After the tumultuous 2020 election, Arizona lawmakers sought to change this policy within their state to secure future elections. Governor Doug Ducey (R) just signed the new bill into law.
On Wednesday, March 30, Governor Ducey signed HB 2492, a bill requiring voters in a federal election to show proof of citizenship in order to vote. The state already required this of voters in its state and local elections but was unable to keep the requirement for federal elections after a 2013 Supreme Court forced the state to stick to using federal voter registration forms.
While some activists believe this new law is unconstitutional, Governor Ducey emphasized in a letter supporting the legislation that this new bill is different from the old requirement struck down by SCOTUS. According to Ducey, HB 2492 simply “provides clarity to Arizona law” on how to correctly process the federal voting form. He shared more on Twitter about his support for the legislation:
Arizona is a leader in election integrity — and election integrity means counting every lawful vote and prohibiting any attempt to illegally cast a vote. #HB2492 does that, while honoring Arizona’s history of making voting accessible. https://t.co/pLSbHER8WK
— Doug Ducey (@DougDucey) March 30, 2022
With this law, Arizona will ensure only those legally allowed to vote will vote. However, it may force some residents to renew their state ID cards or update their addresses to do so. But, in a state that had such a difficult time assuring the nation its ballot counts were correct in 2020, this could be a step in the right direction.
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