The Biden administration is suing Arizona over a law slated to take effect on Jan. 1, 2023, that is requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
When he signed House Bill 2492 into law in March, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called it a balanced approach aiming to prohibit any attempt to illegally cast a vote, honoring Arizona’s history of making voting accessible without sacrificing elections security.
In a court complaint filed Tuesday, the Justice Department points out that H.B. 2492 violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
The new law also violates, as the complaint alleges, a 2013 high court ruling related to another Arizona lawsuit, that says the state can’t require prospective voters anything than the federal form requires, such as proof of American citizenship, to cast ballots in federal elections.
The Justice Department argues that asking for proof of citizenship is unlawful and unnecessary despite the fact that voting as a non-citizen is illegal under US federal law, noting that it would throw thousands of voters off the rolls.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division noted that the National Voter Registration Act has helped to move states in the right direction for nearly three decades, eliminating unnecessary requirements that have made it harder for eligible voters to access the registration rolls.
According to Clarke, Arizona’s new law turns the progress clock back by imposing unlawful and unnecessary requirements, claiming they would block eligible voters from the registration rolls for certain federal elections.
Underscoring that in addition to free transportation and housing it offered to illegal migrants, the DOJ now wants to give them a chance to vote, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced his plans to fight the lawsuit to defend Arizona against the lawlessness of the Biden administration.
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