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Arizona Proposition 200, Voter ID, Citizenship Proof for Voter Registration, and Immigration Status Verification for Public Benefits Initiative (2004)
| Arizona Proposition 200 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 2, 2004 | |
| Topic Voting policy measures and Immigration | |
Status Approved | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
Arizona Proposition 200 was on the ballot as an initiated state statute in Arizona on November 2, 2004. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported this ballot initiative to require: • proof of citizenship to register to vote; • a photo ID or two other forms of identification to vote at a polling place; • the verification of immigration status to receive public benefits; and • state and local government employees to submit reports to federal immigration authorities when finding that a public benefits applicant violated federal immigration laws. |
A "no" vote opposed this ballot initiative to require proof of citizenship to register to vote; a photo ID or two other forms of identification to vote at a polling place; the verification of immigration status to receive public benefits; and state and local government employees to submit reports to federal immigration authorities when finding that a public benefits applicant violated federal immigration laws. |
Aftermath
State of Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
In State of Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (2013), the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the provision of Proposition 200 that required proof of citizenship to register to vote. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the majority's opinion, which said that the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) preempted states from using anything besides the federal voter registration form for federal elections. Therefore, Arizona could not add additional requirements to federal voter registration forms. The federal form required applicants attest to being citizens of the United States. Proposition 200 was designed to require that documented evidence of citizenship be provided, which went beyond the federal form requirements.[1]
Election results
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Arizona Proposition 200 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
1,041,741 | 55.64% | ||
| No | 830,467 | 44.36% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Proposition 200 was as follows:
| “ | Requires: Proof of citizenship when registering to vote; rejection of voter registration not accompanied by proof of citizenship; showing identification before receiving a ballot; state and local governments to verify identity of applicants for certain state and local public benefits; and government employees to report applicants who violate immigration law. | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ |
A "yes" vote shall have the effect of [1] requiring a person to submit evidence of United States citizenship when registering to vote, [2] requiring the county recorder to reject any voter registration that is not accompanied by proof of citizenship, [3] requiring voters to present a photo identification with name and address or two other forms of identification with name and address before receiving a ballot at the polling place, [4] requiring state and local governments to verify the identity and eligibility of applicants for state and local public benefits that are not federally mandated, [5] requiring government employees to report violations of United States immigration law by applicants for public benefits, [6] making it a class 2 misdemeanor if a government employee fails to make the required report and [7] permitting private lawsuits by any resident to enforce provisions relating to public benefits. A "no" vote shall have the effect of retaining the current laws regarding citizenship when registering to vote and not requiring voters to show identification documents at the polls prior to voting, and keeping the current requirements when applying for public benefits. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
In 2004, 122,612 signatures were required to place an initiated state statute on the ballot. The campaign behind the ballot initiative filed 190,887 signatures.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Arizona Phoenix (capital) |
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