A victory for Arizona’s autonomy to ensure election integrity: The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Arizona’s voter-approved 2004 law requiring voters to show proof of citizenship before receiving a ballot. . . Arizona can demand to see certain forms of identification that proves citizenship, the court ruled. And if someone doesn’t have those forms of ID, paying the fees to obtain the ID isn’t the same as a “poll tax.” However, the court also ruled that Arizona must not refuse federal voter-registration forms, which work on the honor system by asking applicants to check a box saying whether they’re U.S. citizens. Arizona can’t replace that form with its form that requires proof of citizenship, the court ruled. The case can still be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Gonzalez v. Arizona ruling here. Phoenix New Times story here.
But still a federally-forced reliance on the “honor system”:
Okay, sooo…
Accept the federal voter registration forms, but issue voter registration cards ONLY upon verification of citizenship. If that takes time, well…
there’s always next time. It’s up to the applicant to do their part, then the State agency to do their own work.