In 2004, when Arizona temporarily passed a similar law, voter registration decreased, especially amongst white Americans.
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Arizona over a new state law that requires proof of citizenship to vote by mail and in federal elections. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated the law is a “textbook violation of the National Voter Registration Act.”
The law is in direct conflict with a 2013 Supreme Court Decision, written by Justice Antonin Scalia, that ruled a state could not supersede the requirements on the federal voting registration form. Federal voting registration already requires one to attest their citizenship under penalty of perjury.
Arizona’s new law goes further than what is required nationally for federal voter registration, and for no reason. It is already illegal to vote in Arizona’s local elections without proof of citizenship.
As well as violating the 2013 ruling, Arizona’s new law also violates the voting rights act of 1964.
Arizona lawmakers even knew the requirement was illegal, but they still passed the law, stating that if it went to the courts, “it is a fight worth having.”
In 2004, when Arizona temporarily passed a similar law, voter registration decreased. In Arizona’s most populous county, registrations declined by 44 percent. While it may seem that citizenship laws are intended to target minorities, 80 percent of those denied were white Americans.
Older Americans may especially struggle with this law, given that 18 percent of people over the age of 65 do not have valid photo identification. For example, an older Arizonian living in a retirement home may not still drive or have a car, and therefore has not needed to update their driver’s license – until now.