Grand Canyon Times

The Arizona Senate in late March advanced HB2492, a measure to improve voting security and boost election integrity, by a 16-12 count.

The aim of the bill is to verify the citizenship of voters in order to reduce the potential of fraudulent voting and ensure confidence in elections, according to an article by the Grand Canyon Times. Two senators declined to vote, according to the Arizona legislature's website. The bill was sent to Gov. Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.) for his signature or veto.

“The Arizona legislature should be applauded for taking action and passing HB 2492,” Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project Action, said in the article. “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.”

HB2492 would require voter registration applications to include proof of citizenship, according to the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. It also would compel election authorities to verify citizenship and to reject applications from individuals who cannot verify their citizenship. 

If passed, the bill also would require voters to provide proof of citizenship if they choose to vote early by mail and cast a vote in a presidential election.

“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,” Snead said. “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.”

Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act in 1996. This act “prohibited non-citizens from voting in federal elections for president, the U.S. House or U.S. Senate," according to the Grand Canyon Times. The law did not address non-citizens who vote in state or local elections, and analysis by Ballotpedia found that many states don’t have clear language specifying that only U.S.citizens are eligible to vote.