Arizona federal court requires voters to have citizenship in order to vote

Those who want to vote in the state of Arizona must present valid proof of U.S. citizenship. It seems obvious, however, it had to be required the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in the state, a fact that temporarily cripples Democratic intentions to make voting rights more flexible. 

Prior to Thursday's ruling, residents of the state of Arizona without citizenship would have been able to use the state form to register for federal elections to elect representatives and senators, as well as presidential elections.

This is because Arizona law requires voters to present proof of citizenship to register, while federal law requires only a statement that the voter is a citizen, but no documentation to prove it.

A 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed registered voters without proof of citizenship to cast ballots in federal elections, which is why Arizona has maintained separate lists for voters exclusive to the federal government.

With Thursday's decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a partial stay of a lower court ruling that struck down Arizona's most recent federal-only voter laws. The stay will remain in place until September, when an appeals court will hear the case. The court's decision changes voter registration practices established by a 2018 executive order that requires officials to accept state forms even without proof of citizenship.

Proof of citizenship has become a topic of debate as Republican leaders, both nationally and locally, and are pushing for passage of a federal law that would require voters to present documented proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.

Despite this,  the court did deny the Republicans' request to bar people from voting in the presidential and mail-in ballots if they used a federal registration form. The Republican Party of Florida agreed with the appeals court's decision. Warren Petersen, chairman of the Arizona state Senate, issued a statement to address the court's decision. 

"This is a victory for election integrity in Arizona. Only U.S. citizens should be allowed to vote in our elections. It sounds like common sense, but the radical left elected officials in our state continue to reject this notion, disrespecting the voices of our lawful Arizona voters. We are grateful the court is upholding this provision in our law, and it's time for Congress to take action to ensure only lawful U.S. citizens are voting in federal races," reads the Republican lawmaker's statement.