Arizona’s Ducey Signs Law Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Wednesday intended to ensure only U.S. citizens — with documentation of their citizenship — vote in the state’s election.

“Election integrity means counting every lawful vote and prohibiting any attempt to illegally cast a vote,” he said in a letter sent to Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs on Wednesday. 

“H.B. 2492 is a balanced approach that honors Arizona’s history of making voting accessible without sacrificing security in our elections,” he said.

According to the Republican governor, Arizonans displayed their desire for secure elections by voting in favor of Proposition 200 in 2004.

Proposition 200 required evidence of citizenship in order to register to vote.

“Importantly, anyone who was registered to vote in Arizona prior to Prop 200’s passage was deemed to have provided satisfactory evidence of citizenship and not required to resubmit evidence of citizenship,” Ducey wrote. “H.B. 2492 does not disturb the safe harbor granted to Arizonans who registered to vote prior to Prop 200’s passage.”

What H.B. 2492, sponsored by Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Ariz., does do, Ducey said, is “address a growing number of registrants participating in elections who have not provided evidence of citizenship.”

“In 2014, when the federal form was first used to register Arizona voters who failed to provide evidence of citizenship, a mere 21 voters statewide voted using that method in the primary election,” the governor wrote.

“In the 2020 general election, that number climbed to over 11,600. In just Maricopa County alone, there are currently 13,042 active registered voters who have not provided evidence of citizenship to vote through use of the federal form,” he said.

Hoffman has been a colorful figure in Arizona electoral politics in recent years, and as of 2021, he is the vice chair of the Arizona House’s Committee on Government and Elections.

In the wake of the 2020 election, Hoffman declared himself a Trump elector because, he said, there were unique questions about the election and its outcome.

“In unprecedented times, unprecedented actions occur,” he told The Arizona Republic newspaper.

Hoffman went on to tell the newspaper that there was no case law or rules about what would happen if the result of the presidential election continued to be litigated and the outcome remained in doubt.

“Which is why we felt it appropriate to provide Congress and the vice president with dueling options,” Hoffman said of the alternate slate of delegates.

A month before the election, his account was suspended by Twitter and the marketing firm he runs was banned by Facebook for violating the platforms’ rules. 

Hoffman is the president and CEO of Rally Forge, the firm that was banned. In a listing in the Center for Arizona Policy’s voter guide, he called the firm “one of the nation’s top conservative digital and communications agencies.” 

Facebook said the firm created accounts that were engaging in “coordinated inauthentic behavior,” trolling by posting comments that appeared to be real people commenting on news and sharing right-wing opinions. 

In addition to requiring proof of citizenship, the new law adds a number of relevant databases that counties must check so voter rolls are well maintained. 

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue