Republicans Appeal Non-Citizen Voting Decision, Ask for Enforcement of Existing Laws in Arizona

The Republican National Committee and the Arizona Republican Party are appealing a federal judge’s ruling that could leave the door open for non-citizen voting.

The Republican National Committee is appealing a portion of an election integrity decision that may make it easier for non-citizens to vote in presidential elections or by mail.

On May 10, in a joint release, the RNC and the Arizona Republican Party announced they are appealing a key portion of a federal ruling issued in February. The move would seek to strengthen protections against non-citizens voting in the state’s elections.

In February, Judge Susan Bolton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona ruled that two laws passed in Arizona in 2022, HB 2492 and HB 2243, are not discriminatory. The Republican committees, in their May 10 release, called that decision a “landmark legal development for election integrity.”

However, the Republican groups think there is still more work to be done.

Importantly, Ms. Bolton’s decision stops Arizona from requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote in presidential elections or vote by mail. On May 8, they filed the appeal.

“Our appeal will fight this decision,” a joint release from the Republican committees said. “Not requiring proof of citizenship in order to vote in presidential elections or vote by mail undermines a fundamental principle of our elections: that they should be decided by American citizens.”

The appeal said Warren Petersen, the president of the Arizona State Senate, and Ben Toma, the Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, will be joining the RNC and Arizona Republican Party in the legal action. Both Mr. Peterson and Mr. Toma are Republicans.

“Every voter in Arizona has a bedrock right to ensure their votes and their voices are not diluted by ineligible voters casting ballots and impacting our elections and our representation,” Gina Swoboda, chair of the Arizona Republican Party, said in a release.

Moreover, after the federal decision in Mi Familia Vota v. Adrian Fontes, the RNC and the Republican Party of Arizona sent letters and public records requests to all 15 counties to determine whether they were complying with the voter roll laws. Mr. Fontes, a Democrat, is the Arizona Secretary of State.

According to the Republican committees, only six counties have responded. None are in full compliance with the requirements of HB 2243. The counties, apparently, do not have access to the databases the law requires them to check.

“It is inexcusable that the Secretary of State and the counties have not secured access to these databases, despite the law being in effect for nearly two years and never enjoined by a court,” the joint release said. “If counties do not show evidence of compliance with the law, the RNC and AZGOP will pursue every legal avenue to uphold election integrity in Arizona.”

J.P. Martin, deputy communications director for the Arizona Secretary of State, declined to comment on the matter, citing his office’s policy of not commenting on active litigation.

Representatives of Mi Familia Vota, a Phoenix 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization focused on the state’s Hispanic community, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times.

Mr. Fontes beat out Republican candidate Mark Finchem in the 2022 election. Mr. Fontes assumed office at the beginning of 2023 and is currently serving a four-year term.

Arizona, long a Republican stronghold, is now a battleground state. In 2020, President Joe Biden became the first Democrat to win the Grand Canyon State since President Bill Clinton won it in 1996.

According to the unofficial results published by the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, President Biden won the state by 10,000 votes. More than 3.3 million ballots were cast in that race.

The state and its 11 votes in the Electoral College will be crucial to deciding the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. In that race, President Biden will potentially face former President Donald Trump once again.

Along with the heated presidential contest, Arizona will be the site of a critical Senate race. Incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) will not seek reelection, opening the path for both major political parties to take her seat.

The state will hold its primary election on June 30 to determine who will represent the Democratic and Republican Party candidates in the Senate race. Right now, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and former Phoenix market news anchor Kari Lake, a Republican, are the front runners for their respective parties.

Ms. Lake ran for the Arizona governor’s mansion in 2022 but narrowly lost to Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs.

The Republican National Committee continues to litigate election integrity issues in multiple battleground states. In the past two weeks, it has been active in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin.

The Democratic National Committee, for its part, is contesting the RNC’s election suits in Nevada and Michigan. It calls the motions “political theatre.”