Arizona has vowed to fight back against a Justice Department lawsuit that says it is wrong of the state to force voters to prove they are American citizens.
On Tuesday, the Department of Justice filed a complaint against Arizona’s House Bill 2492, claiming it violates the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the 1964 Civil Rights Act, according to Fox News.
As of March, 31,500 current voters could be impacted by the law, which is set to take effect on Jan. 1, according to The New York Times.
The law’s critics said some voters, such as students, the elderly or tribal members, may not have the documentation the state requires.
The Justice Department cast its lawsuit as an effort to protect the voices of those who would be stifled otherwise.
“For nearly three decades, the National Voter Registration Act has helped to move states in the right direction by eliminating unnecessary requirements that have historically made it harder for eligible voters to access the registration rolls,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “Arizona has passed a law that turns the clock back on progress by imposing unlawful and unnecessary requirements that would block eligible voters from the registration rolls for certain federal elections.”
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich cast a jaundiced eye upon that language.
“In addition to free rooms and transportation for those illegally entering our country, the DOJ now wants to give them a chance to vote,” he said in a statement to Fox News.
“It’s another round of Brnovich v. Biden. I will once again be in court defending Arizona against the lawlessness of the Biden administration,” he said, referring to past battles with the Biden administration as states seek to reassert their authority against what they say is federal overreach.
In a letter to the Department of Justice, Brnovich said it was “curious, however, that the Department of Justice would use its resources to challenge a common sense law in Arizona designed to guard against non-citizen voting, while the Biden Administration is simultaneously opening our borders to encourage a flood of illegal immigration. Is the federal government attempting to undermine our sovereignty and destabilize our election infrastructure?”
He called on the federal government to “reconsider your pursuit of this misguided suit and instead recognize Arizona’s constitutional authority to conduct lawful and secure elections.”
In the letter, he said he would take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.
Biden’s DOJ is attempting to undermine Arizona’s sovereignty and is determined to destabilize Arizona’s election infrastructure. https://t.co/8i8NCsH4R4
— Nick Short (@PoliticalShort) July 6, 2022
In 2004, Arizona passed a law requiring proof of citizenship to vote in state elections, but that law does not cover federal elections, such as the upcoming presidential election in 2024, according to WVUE-TV.
However, voters can register to vote in federal elections only by not providing any proof, because the federal form does not require any. The new law seeks to expand the state rule into federal contests.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said when he signed the law that it was “a balanced approach that honors Arizona’s history of making voting accessible without sacrificing security in our elections.”
“Election integrity means counting every lawful vote and prohibiting any attempt to illegally cast a vote,” Ducey said.
