On July 18th, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of election integrity by upholding Arizona’s new state law that requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.
Arizona law has long dictated that proof of citizenship be required for individuals voting in statewide elections. Federal law, on the other hand, only requires an “attestation” of citizenship to influence presidential and congressional elections. Essentially, one need only say that they are a citizen, and they will be able to make a decision that impacts American leadership nationwide, under federal law.
Therefore, Arizona residents who could not provide proof of citizenship were barred from voting in state elections but were allowed to register with the state to vote in federal elections only. For many years, Arizona maintained an entirely separate roll of voters known as “federal-only” voters.
In 2022, Arizona legislators passed the law requiring proof of citizenship for all elections. It was almost immediately challenged by so-called “voting rights” activists. Litigation rose to the U.S. District Court of Arizona, which ruled in favor of its constitutionality in May of this year. The 9th Circuit was simply another step in the law’s very probable journey to the Supreme Court, with an additional appeal scheduled for September.
This ruling comes amidst nationwide debate over the SAVE Act, which would federally mandate proof of citizenship for all individuals registering to vote. Many argue that such laws are unnecessary, as it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in elections. Of course, without any proof of citizenship or voter ID, how can this ever be enforced?
Arizona is widely considered to be a very influential swing state in the upcoming 2024 general election. With its additional status as a border state, Arizona has been ravaged by an unprecedented influx of foreign nationals. These factors significantly add to the importance of ensuring election integrity and preventing fraud of any kind, including the influence of non-citizens on American leadership.
Advancing Integrity supports the measures by both the Arizona legislature and the US Congress to protect the sanctity of American elections by ensuring that only American citizens are making electoral decisions. We will continue fighting for election integrity nationwide.