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Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024

Does Arizona have federal-only ballots for residents who ‘can’t prove’ citizenship at the time of registration?

Carmela Guaglianone, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
yes

As the only state that requires residents to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote, Arizona must offer federal-only ballots to residents who cannot do so.

Federal law explicitly bars states from requiring documentation of citizenship in order to vote in federal elections. All prospective voters must attest under threat of perjury that they are U.S. citizens when registering.

Instances of non-citizen voting are exceptionally rare. Of the roughly 35,000 federal-only voters registered in Arizona, the majority are students, Native Americans or service members who could not provide the required documents while registering, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

See a full discussion of this at Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting

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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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