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Thursday, Apr. 9, 2026

Did Arizona previously pass a law similar to the SAVE Act that disproportionately disenfranchised Native American voters?

Mia Osmonbekov, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
yes

Yes. Arizona passed House Bill 2492 in 2022, requiring proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate or passport, to register to vote in presidential elections. 

While the law recognizes tribal identification cards as valid proof of citizenship, it also originally required proof of physical address and birthplace—information not typically listed on those documents. Federal courts struck down those provisions in 2023 and 2024, ruling they unlawfully burdened Native Americans’ ability to vote.

The proposed SAVE Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives, would go further by requiring  proof of citizenship to register to vote in any federal election, not just presidential contests.

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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.

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