by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News July 19, 2024

A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that Arizona residents who try to register to vote with the widely used state form will have their registration rejected unless they provide proof of U.S. citizenship.

The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a partial stay of a lower-court ruling that struck down newer Arizona laws on federal-only voters, Votebeat Arizona reported.

Previously, the report noted, Arizona residents without proof of citizenship documents would have been allowed to use the state registration form, which almost all Arizonans use. But they could vote only in federal elections — for U.S. House, Senate and president because Arizona law requires voters to provide proof of citizenship to register, whereas federal law requires only an attestation that a voter is a citizen, but not documentation proving it.

Those in Arizona who use the federal form, which does not require documented proof of citizenship, can still register and vote in federal-only elections. The federal form is used mostly by college students and newly-naturalized citizens, the report said.

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The 9th Circuit’s stay will be in place until an appeals panel hears the case, currently scheduled for September.

While the stay is in force, a county recorder could be charged with a felony for knowingly adding a registrant using the state form to the voter rolls without proof of citizenship.

State Senate President Warren Peterson, a Republican, hailed the appeals court ruling as “a victory for election integrity in Arizona.”

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  Court blocks non-citizens from registering to vote using state form in Arizona, WorldTribune.com