Arizona lawmaker offers bill allowing new voter registration requirements

Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) has introduced legislation that would allow states, including Arizona, to establish voter registration requirements beyond the federal standard.

The bill comes in light of the Arizona v. The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona court case, in which the Supreme Court and a federal appeals court ruled that Arizona cannot require proof of citizenship beyond what’s already on the federal voter registration form.

{mosads}Salmon argued that states should be allowed to require people to provide documents proving their citizenship beyond simply checking a box on the federal form.

“It has long been understood that election integrity is absolutely critical to the peaceful transfer of power and a society’s democratic self-determination. Unfortunately, the federal government’s voter registration standards leave in place only nominal safeguards to prevent non-citizens from registering for the most sacred of democratic rights,” Salmon said in a statement.

Salmon further warned that illegal immigrants granted legal status under President Obama’s executive actions would be able to register to vote.

“Now, with the president’s latest round of unlawful and unconstitutional executive orders, millions more illegal immigrants will be provided the identification that allows them to successfully register to vote,” Salmon said.