When Arizona citizens supported Proposition 200 (pdf) in 2004, they became the first state in the nation to require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Grassroots voter registration groups like Project Vote say the requirement has barred them from signing up one in nine eligible citizens who lack necessary documents, including 97-year-old Shirley Preiss. But, state officials estimate more than 2,000 non-citizens have been removed from voter rolls as a result.
Recently, the state sent about 37,000 denial letters to voter applicants, and Project Vote has joined with the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, or MALDEF, to do a mailing to these applicants and determine if eligible voters were denied, and why.
State Republicans supported the Voter ID bill, citing concerns about illegal immigrants but with no initial reference to their alleged voter fraud (there is no record of this problem in Arizona). Several civil rights groups, including MALDEF, will challenge the measure in court on July 1.
Similar laws could be introduced next year in as many as 11 other states, including Missouri, which is a swing state that saw an attempt to pass a voter ID bill fail by a narrow margin in May.
News21 fellows Renee Feltz and Stokely Baksh have been following this story for the past month and are now traveling in Arizona to document the impact of Prop 200 through the stories of eligible voters and to report on the Gonzalez v. Arizona case as it goes to trial, possibly shaping the future of similar legislation.
Watch this blog and the main News21 web site for updates and their final report.
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