Election 2008: What’s At Stake?

As the 2008 election approaches, News21 examines how a tough voter registration law in Arizona is suppressing the nation’s fastest growing voting block.

Arizona is the only state in the nation that requires documented proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Many of our sources say the requirement stops voter fraud by illegal immigrants, but others say the law has a different purpose. Our investigative video report examines how, largely because of requirements established by Proposition 200, the state has rejected nearly 40,000 voter registration applications in just 3 years. Our interactive map shows how more than a dozen other states with large immigrant and Latino populations are considering similar proof of citizenship requirements.

We also spoke with Nina Perales, lead attorney for a civil rights lawsuit challenging Proposition 200, who describes how it creates special barriers to voter registration for new citizens. Former U.S. attorney David Iglesias told us how voter fraud prosecution has been a top agenda for the Bush administration’s Department of Justice, and how those who did not pursue and win cases were dismissed. For context, see our slideshow featuring historian Frank Barrios, who discusses the cyclical rise and fall of Latino political power in the state.