Wow. We knew it was likely the US Supreme Court would vote to further erode the voting rights of Arizonans. Still, the decision on Thursday to impede how Arizonans register to vote was a blow. PBS Newshour has the best summary of what was decided
The real impact of this ruling is to create chaos among voter registration activists. Today they can register a voter using a paper form. If the voter subsequently produces the required documents to satisfy Arizona’s law, they become a “full-ballot” voter. If not, they become a “federal-only” voter. It appears voters may now have to produce the documents at the time they register. People attending a Pride event or who are in the middle of moving into student housing typically won’t have a certified birth certificate in their pocket. How this will work is still being determined, so STAY TUNED.
Who are these 40,000 Fed-only voters?
• Low turnout – usually around 10-20% of the Active voters actually vote
• More than half are on the Inactive Voter list
• Maricopa County has 27,000. Less than 15,000 of those are Active.
• They DO lean Democrat
• Includes college students who don’t have a birth certificate or passport with them
• Includes many, but not all, UOCAVA voters (Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act)
• Fed-only voters in LD3 are dispersed, with some concentration around the large apartments in Rhodes and DC Ranch, plus a curious pocket in Rio Verde.
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