New law puts voters of color at higher risk of being removed from the Early Voting List

By Nick Sanchez
Published: Sunday, August 14, 2022 - 10:28am
Updated: Monday, August 15, 2022 - 6:44am

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putting a ballot in a mailbox
Sky Schaudt/KJZZ
Early ballots go out in Maricopa County on Oct. 12, 2022.

Arizona Senate Bill 1485 changes eligibility requirements for voting by mail, mandating that voters must be removed from the Early Voting List if they have not cast a ballot by mail in the last four years. Even if they vote in person, they’ll still be dropped from the list.

A new study from the Brennan Center for Justice finds while 31% of voters on the list are nonwhite, they account for half of those at-risk of being dropped. Latinos make up one third of voters in danger of falling off the list, while residents of tribal lands are twice as likely as others to be taken off it.

Those removed will receive a notice by mail. The law does not apply to this year’s midterms.

Politics Elections Race + Diversity