Arizona lawmakers passed a bill this week that would require voters to provide proof of citizenship upon registration to vote.
House Bill 2492 was passed on March 23 in a 16–12 vote, with 12 Democrats voting against the bill and two others opting not to vote.
The bill will now head to Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s desk to be signed into state law.
It “requires that every voter is a citizen of the United States and is able to provide satisfactory evidence as such. The legislation states that the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections must reject any application for registration that is not accompanied by satisfactory evidence of citizenship,” reported ZeroHedge.
The bill states that “The Attorney General shall prosecute individuals who are found to not be United States citizen”.
Democrats see the bill as an effort towards voter suppression. “We’ve seen this in other states, and we’ve seen this here in Arizona,” said Representative Lorenzo Sierra, D-Avondale.
“This bill, if we pass this here today, is not going anywhere. It’s going to end up in the Supreme Court. And they’re going to bat it back right at us like they’ve done time and time again,” Sierra added.
Republican Sen. Warren Petersen, chairman of the state Senate’s Judiciary Committee, said “the issue is making sure the citizens of our country are voting … and if you’re not a citizen of this country, you’re not allowed to vote”.
Republican Rep. Jake Hoffman told the Arizona Daily Independent in February that “This bill ensures that there is maximum flexibility to provide documentary proof of citizenship, but we don’t want foreign interference in our elections”.