AZ defends strict voter law before court

DAVID KRAVETS

Published: 01.09.2007

Arizona defended the nation's strictest voter law Monday, arguing to a federal appeals court that requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote is reasonable, despite allegations that eligible voters are disenfranchised.

In 2004, 56 percent of Arizona voters approved the nation's only law requiring all would-be voters to prove they're U.S. citizens. Forty-eight other states allow voters to declare, under penalty of perjury, they are citizens and therefore eligible to vote. Louisiana requires citizenship proof for those born outside the country.

Mary O'Grady, Arizona's solicitor general, told a receptive three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals the measure was designed to block ineligible voters from casting ballots. "There is a concern for the integrity of the system," she said.

The court did not indicate when it would rule. Local elections across the state are scheduled March 13.

Opponents say the Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act keeps eligible voters from the polls because some might not have the necessary documentation, such as a birth certificate, passport, naturalization certificate, tribal identification or an Arizona driver's license. Acquiring such documents could be a burden and even too costly, opponents argued, suggesting the requirement was an illegal poll tax.

I sure hope these poor folks who have no identification to show to be able to vote aren't planning on the leaving the country after next January when a passport will be required even to drive or walk back into the USA. - mm