Grand Canyon Times

The Arizona state Senate recently advanced legislation that seeks to improve voting security and boost election integrity. The senators advanced HB2492 by a vote of 16-12 on Wednesday.

The bill seeks to verify the citizenship of Arizona voters in order to reduce the amount of fraudulent voting and ensure confidence in elections. Two senators abstained from voting, according to the Arizona legislature's website. The bill now heads to Gov. Doug Ducey's desk to await his signature or veto.

"The Arizona legislature should be applauded for taking action and passing HB2492," Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project Action, said in a statement. "Only citizens should vote in American elections. Requiring proof of citizenship to register is a fundamental safeguard for the integrity of elections, and states should be doing all they can to verify citizenship and ensure that the votes of citizens are not canceled out by ineligible voters."

Snead continued, "This measure makes proof of citizenship a qualification to vote in state and presidential elections, avoiding issues raised in the Supreme Court’s Inter-Tribal decision. This voter integrity bill is necessary, timely, reasonable, and constitutional, and it upholds the principle of making it easier to vote but harder to cheat. I hope the governor moves quickly to sign it into law.”

The Arizona House of Representatives advanced HB2492 on Feb. 28 by a vote of 31-26, with 3 abstentions.

HB2492 requires voter registration applications to include proof of citizenship and requires county election authorities to rigorously verify citizenship and to reject applications from individuals who cannot verify US citizenship, according to the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. HB2492 also requires voters to provide proof of citizenship if they desire to vote early by mail and to cast any vote in a presidential election.

The U.S. Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act in 1996. The act "prohibited non-citizens from voting in federal elections for president, the U.S. House or U.S. Senate," according to Cornell Law School. "The law did not address non-citizens voting in state or local elections."

An analysis by Ballotpedia found that a number of states do not currently have clear language specifying that only citizens are eligible to vote, and noted that several municipalities across the country have moved to allow non-citizens the right to vote in municipal elections.