WASHINGTON, July 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department sued the state of Arizona on Tuesday to block a state law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship for some federal elections.
The law, set to take effect in January, violates the National Voter Registration Act by requiring proof of citizenship to vote in presidential elections or vote by mail in all federal elections, the department said.
“This case reflects our deep commitment to using every tool available to protect the voting rights of all Americans and ensure that their voices are heard in our democracy,” said Kristen Clark, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, on press briefing.
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The law also violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by requiring election officials to reject voter registration forms based on minor errors, officials said. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Burnovich said he would fight the case.
“Once again, I will be in court defending Arizona against the lawlessness of the Biden administration,” he said in a statement.
Arizona was a flashpoint in the US battle for the right to vote.
A widely criticized Republican review of the 2020 presidential election failed to find that irregularities marred Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow victory over Republican Donald Trump. The Republican legislature also reduced the powers of the state’s top elected official, a Democrat. Read more
Arizona passed a law in 2005 requiring new voters to provide proof of citizenship, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the state could not impose that requirement on those using a federal registration form. Since then, the state has only allowed those voters to participate in federal elections, not state or local races.
Critics say the new law will disenfranchise longtime voters who registered before the citizenship requirement was introduced.
Last year, the Justice Department filed lawsuits against Texas and Georgia over state voting restrictions that the department says violate federal law.
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Reporting by Katherine Jackson and Eric Beach; editing by Leslie Adler and Bill Berkrot
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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