Grand Canyon Times

Arizona has enacted election laws that have come under fire from legislators in other states, including Pennsylvania, as being too restrictive. 

However, the two states may not be too far apart when it comes to regulating the right to vote, some analysts note. 

Last month the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, kept in place an Arizona law that rejects provisional ballots cast at the wrong precinct and prohibits third-party groups from returning mail ballots. This drew the ire of Democrats, including Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). Business Insider reported that he recently told MSNBC the GOP would continue to push restrictive election reforms in Arizona and elsewhere. 

“This is agenda item number one for the Republican Party," Casey was quoted as saying. "This is going to be the norm, because Republicans have concluded that they can't win by getting more votes. They can only win by voter-suppression bills."

Earlier this year, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, signed into law Senate Bill 1485, which, according to Prescott eNews, will remove voters in the Grand Canyon State from a permanent early voting list if they fail to cast an early ballot in every election for two election cycles. The state will send voters a notice, asking if they wish to remain on the list. 

The adoption of laws in Arizona and other states could force the hand of Senate Democrats, Business Insider noted.

"We're at a point of no return," Casey said. "We're either going to preserve our democracy, and thereby protect voter rights to preserve the democracy, or we're not. Democrats have to stand up and get something done. I think we can do that because, it's apparent to me, that Republicans are just going to endorse these voter-suppression bills."

Like Arizona and Georgia, Casey’s home state is one of the battleground states seeking to move forward with voting restrictions. A voter-ID effort was vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf, though it eventually could be mandated by lawmakers as a constitutional amendment.  

However, the governor has signaled that he’s open to the changes. Spokeswoman Lyndsay Kensinger told the Philadelphia Inquirer the governor may be willing to sign ID requirements into law, but only if they are part of a bill that also makes voting easier for Keystone State residents. 

“His comments were not a seismic shift in policy,” Kensinger told the newspaper. “They simply reflect a willingness the governor has expressed for well over a year to engage in good faith to try to find common ground.”

As Arizona comes under fire for new laws seen as too restrictive, Pennsylvania actually has laws already on the books that may provide just as many hurdles to voters. According to Ballotpedia, both states permit no-excuse absentee voting. Pennsylvania also does not permit automatic voter registration. 

First State Times reported that Arizona also prohibits that practice. 

According to Ballotpedia, Pennsylvania also does not allow same-day voter registration, and it kicked off an online voter registration system in 2015. 

Both states offer what is considered an extended period for early voting. Arizona currently allows early voting starting 27 days before an election, according to the Arizona Clean Elections commission. Meanwhile, the National Conference of State Legislators noted that Pennsylvania’s early election voting starts 50 days prior to the election.