In 2013, the Republicans in Arizona were denied by the United States Supreme Court, in the case of Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Ariz., Inc, their quest to impose proof of citizenship documentation on Grand Canyon State Residents before they can vote.
Nine years later, with a likely more fringe-friendly Supreme Court configuration (as demonstrated by their right wing anti-democratic, anti-voter, anti-women’s rights, and anti-common sense rulings,) Republicans in the Arizona Legislature and Governors office approved House Bill (HB) 2492 which if sanctioned by the courts would impose potentially burdensome proof of citizenship requirements on communities like residents living on Indian nations.
On July 5, 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it would sue Arizona in the courts to block implementation of HB2492.
Assistant Attorney General Kristin Clark, wrote in the DOJ announcement:
“House Bill 2492’s onerous documentary proof of citizenship requirement for certain federal elections constitutes a textbook violation of the National Voter Registration Act. For nearly three decades, the National Voter Registration Act has helped to move states in the right direction by eliminating unnecessary requirements that have historically made it harder for eligible voters to access the registration rolls. Arizona has passed a law that turns the clock back on progress by imposing unlawful and unnecessary requirements that would block eligible voters from the registration rolls for certain federal elections. The Justice Department will continue to use every available tool to protect all Americans’ right to vote and to ensure that their voices are heard.”
In the same statement, Gary M. Restaino, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, offered:
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is dedicated to protecting voters in the state. We are proud to join the Civil Rights Division in bringing this lawsuit to ensure that all eligible citizens in Arizona have the opportunity to register to vote and exercise their fundamental right to participate in our elections.”
The two Democrats running to become Arizona’s next Secretary of State also conveyed their support for the DOJ move.
In his capacity as House Democratic Leader, Reginald Bolding stated:
“Arizona has an ugly history of disenfranchising Indigenous voters and other voters of color, We warned the Governor that he was writing a sad new chapter in that history by embracing the Big Lie and signing this bill. Now we welcome the DOJ’s intervention because it was clear this bill was unconstitutional and aimed at suppressing the vote from particular communities. This has to stop. Too many politicians in Arizona have been eager to embrace and spread misinformation about the 2020 election, even if their own attorneys are telling them their voter-suppression measures are plainly unconstitutional.”
Former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes commented:
“House Bill 2492 was ill advised from the outset, and the radical extremists in the Republican Party knew that there would be a lawsuit. They proceeded anyway out of sheer stubborn audacity and feckless loyalty to Trumpism. This is why we need experienced Election administrators in Arizona and across the United States. This kind of voter suppression cannot stand.”