http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/l...0-voting26.html


Citizen proof is required to vote

Yvonne Wingett
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 26, 2005 12:00 AM

Elections officials across the state are scrambling to enforce the voting provisions of Proposition 200, which became law Tuesday after the Justice Department signed off, making Arizona the first state that requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

So when Jassey Salgado registers for the first time after her 18th birthday in June, she will have to present her birth certificate, a passport, her naturalization papers or a driver's license issued after 1996. And when the high school senior shows up at the polls for the first time, she will be asked to show a picture ID that lists her name and address or two other forms of ID that prove her residence.

The new law, aimed at preventing voter fraud, will affect an estimated 200,000 who register to vote yearly in Maricopa County and up to 1.6 million residents who are eligible to vote in the next general election. advertisement




It creates new responsibilities for election officials statewide who are rushing to streamline the verification process before March elections. Proposition 200 requires them to verify citizenship by checking those documents.

Under old requirements, officials did not verify citizenship of voters who simply checked a box and signed a registration form affirming they were U.S. citizens.

"I look at my crystal ball and say I hope we are able to make this as smooth for the public as possible," said Secretary of State Jan Brewer, who oversees elections. "But any time you have a change of this magnitude, there's going to be some hiccups along the way. It's learning a new system, learning a new rule and understanding all of the provision - that's where the confusion's going to come in."

To complicate matters, it's unclear if a post-1996 Arizona driver's license really proves citizenship, elections officials said. To receive a license after 1996, residents had to prove they were in the United States legally but not that they were citizens. The Office of the Attorney General will soon release an opinion on whether the ID is acceptable.

Voters in November passed Proposition 200, which also requires proof of immigration or citizenship status when applying for public benefits.

Attorney General Terry Goddard has instructed state agencies to apply Proposition 200 only to welfare programs. But Randy Pullen, one of its key backers, disputed Goddard's interpretation with a lawsuit seeking an expanded definition to include more services. Goddard has requested the case be dismissed; lawyers will face off in court on Thursday.

Meanwhile, both of Proposition 200's voting and public-benefits provisions are under fire in a separate lawsuit. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund alleges it is unconstitutional in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Tucson in November.

But to successfully fight the provision, experts said, the fund must prove Proposition 200 dilutes minority voting.

State Rep. Russell Pearce, a co-author of Proposition 200, said he was confident the measure would stand up to legal constitutional scrutiny. He predicted the new laws will help prevent voter fraud and won't be an inconvenience to ordinary Arizonans.

"If you listen to the opponents, you'd think that carrying an ID on you is somehow harmful to your health," said Pearce, R-Mesa.

"We knew it was constitutional."





Staff reporters Amanda J. Crawford and Robbie Sherwood contributed to this article.