Desertdog
Member
It is illgal for non-citizens to vote, then the law should be positive proof of citienship when you register to vote and a positive id when you vote, with matching names.
Opponents call positive ID requirement unconstitutional
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4949365
Advocacy groups filed the second legal challenge in two weeks to Arizona's requirement that people show identification before casting ballots, arguing it's an unconstitutional restriction on voting.
Nearly identical to an earlier challenge, a lawsuit filed Wednesday broadens the coalition of groups seeking to overturn the voting provisions of Proposition 200, a voter-approved law that also denied some government benefits to illegal immigrants.
The advocacy groups have asked a federal judge to merge the two cases.
In the latest lawsuit against Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer, the state's chief elections officer, an American Indian tribe and others said the requirement to show identification at polling places could keep citizens from exercising their voting rights.
They also said voter registration drives were being hindered by the requirement for people who are registering to vote to submit documents proving their citizenship.
The Secretary of State's office plans to defend the provisions in court and carry them out at polling places, said Kevin Tyne, a spokesman for the office.
"This appears just to be another attempt to undo provisions of Proposition 200 as passed by voters," Tyne said.
While the law was approved in 2004, the ID rules were cleared by federal officials in October and were first used in local elections in March.
Supporters said the requirement would safeguard the election system by preventing non-citizens from casting ballots.
But Linda Brown, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network, one of the group's that filed Wednesday's lawsuit, said many supporters of Proposition 200 were shocked to learn later of the law's voting restrictions.
"The passions around Prop. 200 were not in those little details," said Brown, whose group seeks to increase citizen participation in government.
Other groups that filed the latest lawsuit include the Hopi Tribe, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, League of United Latin American Citizens and League of Women Voters of Arizona. A lawsuit filed on May 9 was brought by several Hispanic groups.
Opponents call positive ID requirement unconstitutional
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4949365
Advocacy groups filed the second legal challenge in two weeks to Arizona's requirement that people show identification before casting ballots, arguing it's an unconstitutional restriction on voting.
Nearly identical to an earlier challenge, a lawsuit filed Wednesday broadens the coalition of groups seeking to overturn the voting provisions of Proposition 200, a voter-approved law that also denied some government benefits to illegal immigrants.
The advocacy groups have asked a federal judge to merge the two cases.
In the latest lawsuit against Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer, the state's chief elections officer, an American Indian tribe and others said the requirement to show identification at polling places could keep citizens from exercising their voting rights.
They also said voter registration drives were being hindered by the requirement for people who are registering to vote to submit documents proving their citizenship.
The Secretary of State's office plans to defend the provisions in court and carry them out at polling places, said Kevin Tyne, a spokesman for the office.
"This appears just to be another attempt to undo provisions of Proposition 200 as passed by voters," Tyne said.
While the law was approved in 2004, the ID rules were cleared by federal officials in October and were first used in local elections in March.
Supporters said the requirement would safeguard the election system by preventing non-citizens from casting ballots.
But Linda Brown, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network, one of the group's that filed Wednesday's lawsuit, said many supporters of Proposition 200 were shocked to learn later of the law's voting restrictions.
"The passions around Prop. 200 were not in those little details," said Brown, whose group seeks to increase citizen participation in government.
Other groups that filed the latest lawsuit include the Hopi Tribe, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, League of United Latin American Citizens and League of Women Voters of Arizona. A lawsuit filed on May 9 was brought by several Hispanic groups.
