Lawsuit challenges new law that cancels voter registration of suspected non-citizens

By Greg Hahne
Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services
Published: Monday, August 22, 2022 - 11:40am

A new law that would require county recorders to cancel the voter registration of anyone they have a reason to believe is not a U.S. citizen will be challenged in court. 

Attorneys for Arizona Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander for Equity Coalition say the provision will result in arbitrary investigations of citizens using databases that are not designed to determine voting eligibility. 

Under the new law, anyone who does not provide evidence of citizenship within 35 days is referred to the county attorney and attorney general for investigation.

A lawyer representing the group says the 35-day window was chosen for political reasons to take effect before the November election.

Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed a similar bill earlier this year that would have allowed 90 days for people to respond, saying it was too vague. 

Politics Elections