Justice Dept. sues Arizona over proof of citizenship to vote

The Department of Justice on Tuesday slapped the southwestern state of Arizona with a lawsuit over a new rule that requires its residents to provide proof of citizenship for voter registration.

The Arizona law, set to take effect in January 2023, could keep thousands of registered voters from the state’s voter rolls, the department said.

‘Textbook violation’

According to the new law, Arizona residents must produce documentary proof of residence before they can vote in a presidential or any federal election.

It is a “textbook violation” of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), said Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Voting rights

The lawsuit, the latest legal action by the Justice Department against Republican-controlled states over new laws that seem to “restrict voting rights,” was brought under both the NVRA and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.