Biden administration sues US state — RT World Information
The Justice Division is suing the state over its requirement that voters show they’re US residents
The Biden administration filed a lawsuit in opposition to Arizona on Tuesday over a regulation requiring proof of citizenship to vote within the southwestern state. Whereas voting as a non-citizen is prohibited underneath US federal regulation, the Justice Division has argued that asking for proof of citizenship is “illegal and pointless.”
Arizona’s regulation, signed by Republican Governor Doug Ducey in March, would require voters to point out documentary proof of citizenship – equivalent to a state driving license or ID card – earlier than casting their poll, and job county officers with rejecting voter registration functions that don’t embody proof of citizenship. The regulation would apply retroactively to voters who’re already registered.
The federal government’s lawsuit alleges that these restrictions violate the Nationwide Voter Registration Act and the Civil Rights Act.
“Arizona has handed a regulation that turns the clock again on progress by imposing illegal and pointless necessities that will block eligible voters from the registration rolls for sure federal elections,” Assistant Lawyer Normal Kristen Clarke stated in an announcement.
Whereas voting as a non-citizen is a federal crime within the US, no state truly asks for proof. As an alternative, voters should swear that they’re residents underneath penalty of perjury. Federal courts have beforehand shut down makes an attempt by quite a few states to require documentary proof of citizenship as an alternative of this oath.
Ducey described the regulation as “a balanced strategy that honors Arizona’s historical past of constructing voting accessible with out sacrificing safety in our elections.” In response to his workplace, signing the invoice was essential, as greater than 11,600 individuals solid their votes in Arizona in 2020 with out offering proof of citizenship, whereas in Maricopa County alone – the place Joe Biden gained by 45,000 votes – there are at present greater than 13,000 lively voters who by no means supplied this proof whereas registering.
Some 15 municipalities, together with New York Metropolis and San Francisco, allowed non-citizens to vote in native elections as of this January. Nonetheless, New York’s regulation has since been struck down by a state court docket.
You possibly can share this story on social media:
