The US Department of Justice wants to legally block a recently passed Arizona law that requires proof of citizenship to vote in some federal elections.
The Justice Department said it filed the lawsuit Tuesday to stop the legislation, which was signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in March and is set to take effect early next year.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark of the Justice Department’s civil rights division said Arizona’s law is a “textbook violation” of the National Registration Act, which requires each state to establish voter registration procedures in federal elections.
“For nearly three decades, the National Voter Registration Act has helped states move in the right direction by eliminating unnecessary requirements that have historically made it difficult for eligible voters to access the registration rolls,” Clark said in a press release. “Arizona passed a law that sets back progress by imposing illegal and unnecessary requirements that would block eligible voters from registration rolls for certain federal elections.
“The Department of Justice will continue to use every tool available to protect the voting rights of all Americans and ensure that their voices are heard.”
Arizona wants to require candidates to show proof of citizenship before they can vote in presidential elections or vote by mail in any federal election when candidates use the single federal registration.
The DOJ argued that the new law ignores a 2013 Supreme Court decision that rejected an earlier attempt in 2005 by Arizona to require similar documentary proof of citizenship for residents seeking to vote in federal elections.
The Justice Department also argued that the law violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because it requires election officials to reject voter registration forms that have minor errors.
Clark sent a June 27 letter, uploaded by Fox News Digital, to Arizona Attorney General Mark Burnovich, threatening a lawsuit but saying the Justice Department hoped to resolve the matter “amicably and avoid a protracted lawsuit.”
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division called Arizona’s law a “textbook violation” of the National Registration Act. Photo: Kevin Deitch/Getty Images
In a letter Burnovich sent to Clark on July 1, obtained by Fox News, he said the newly passed law was “common sense” and questioned whether the federal government was “trying to undermine our sovereignty and destabilize our election infrastructure.”
In response to the lawsuit, Burnovich said the Justice Department wants to allow noncitizens to vote.
“In addition to free rooms and transportation for those who enter our country illegally, the DOJ now wants to give them a chance to vote,” he told Fox News.
Since the 2005 law was repealed, Arizona officials have prevented voters who registered on the federal form from voting in local and state elections.
With pole cables
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