Department of Justice could sue Arizona over Voter ID law

By Greg Hahne
Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services
Published: Monday, July 4, 2022 - 11:32am

The federal government is planning to sue Arizona over a new state law that requires proof of citizenship to vote for president. 

Kristen Clark is the assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. She says it’s in violation of the 1964 Voting Rights Act. 

The law in question would require proof of citizenship to vote for president. However, a 2013 ruling from The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a previous law that required proof of citizenship on federal voting forms as per federal law. 

State Rep. Jake Hoffman contends that ruling only applied to congressional elections.

In a letter to Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Clarke said the new Arizona law also violates the National Voter Registration Act, which requires the state to “accept and use” a complete federal voter registration form to let people vote in all federal elections.

Politics Elections