U.S. Supreme Court Affirms Voters Must Provide Proof of Citizenship in Arizona Before Casting a Ballot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                

Thursday, August 22, 2024

U.S. Supreme Court Affirms Voters Must Provide Proof of Citizenship

in Arizona Before Casting a Ballot

PHOENIX, ARIZONA— A huge victory today for election integrity in Arizona after the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed new voters who are registering with a state form must provide proof of citizenship in order to cast a ballot in November, effective immediately.

The order from SCOTUS was issued in response to an emergency stay application filed by Senate President Warren Petersen after an egregious ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Mi Familia v. Adrian Fontes. On August 1, a three-judge panel vacated an emergency stay decision issued unanimously by another Ninth Circuit panel on July 18. For more than two weeks, the ruling effectively allowed any individual in Arizona to use a state form to register to vote, without providing proof of citizenship, in order to cast a ballot in federal races like U.S. President and Congress. Shockingly, federal law does not currently require citizenship documentation to vote in federal elections.

This legal battle stems from radical Left activists opposing two laws passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature back in 2022, restricting voters who don't provide documentation confirming they are in fact legal citizens of the United States. Without Congress taking action to implement federal laws safeguarding against non-U.S. citizens from casting a ballot, the security of our democratic process for legal U.S. citizens is in grave danger as the potential remains for millions of individuals who've entered the United States illegally under the Biden-Harris Administration to influence the outcome of our elections.

"Our legal battle is far from over," said President Petersen. "While we're grateful SCOTUS recognized our state's sovereignty by allowing our laws requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in Arizona be enforced, individuals who are living here illegally are still able to register on a federal form without providing proof of citizenship. They must only attest they are lawful citizens, then they are able to vote in the presidential and congressional races, as well as by mail, thus influencing the outcome of our elections. We will continue litigating this issue in the coming months with a goal of ensuring only legal U.S. citizens are casting a ballot."

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For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov