In a brazen repudiation of federal law and recent Supreme Court precedent, Arizona recently enacted a law requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote by mail or in presidential elections. In 2021, Arizona was one of the 17 states nationwide to enact new restrictive voting laws. Now it’s trying to break away from the rest of the voter suppression pack.
After a year and a half of conspiracy theories, a partisan postelection “audit,” antidemocratic legislation, election sabotage rhetoric from political candidates, and a Supreme Court ruling further weakening the Voting Rights Act, Arizona has become a key battleground in the fight for voting rights.
Arizona’s story is not all bad news, however. This fall, Arizona voters will likely have a chance to approve a ballot initiative to expand voting access and protect against election sabotage.
In 2020, Arizona saw an increasingly diverse electorate turn out to vote at historic rates. As soon as returns starting coming in on election night, anti-voter activists began spreading false claims about rampant voter fraud. Crowds began to form outside of election offices in Maricopa County, making bizarre allegations about Sharpie pens being used to mark ballots, noncitizens voting, and votes for President Trump being discarded.
These false claims proved durable in Arizona, among other places. In early 2021, State Senate President Karen Fann (R) ordered an audit of the 2020 presidential results in Maricopa County, initiating a...
A former medical practice in Depew agrees to pay $500,000 to settle allegations of fraudulently receiving a PPP loan, according to federal prosecutors. BUFFALO, N.Y. — A former medical practice in ...