Unveiling Arizona’s Unsung Voters: The Surprising Truth About Citizenship Proof

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access.

Lawmakers nationwide are contemplating the implementation of mandatory proof of U.S. citizenship for voting. In Arizona, data indicates that specific groups may struggle to provide such documentation. Notably, voters residing on Native land, those attending college, and individuals at the primary homeless campus exhibit higher percentages of unverified citizenship, according to an analysis by Votebeat.

The analysis revealed that these groups were three times less likely to vote in last November’s election compared to those who submitted proof of citizenship. Republican lawmakers argue that requiring documentation aims to eliminate noncitizen voting, a phenomenon that rarely occurs. However, the stringent requirements might disenfranchise legitimate voters in Arizona.

Arizona stands alone in enforcing a voter restriction that mandates proof of citizenship through birth certificates or similar documents. Although voters can participate in federal elections without documentation, they are barred from state and local contests, marking them as “federal-only” voters. Just under 1% of the state’s voter roll qualifies as federal-only, amounting to approximately 34,933 out of 4.4 million active voters.

Unlike Arizona, voters in other states can affirm their citizenship under penalty of perjury, eliminating the need for physical documentation. Advocates targeting voters on tribal lands, college campuses, and in homeless communities frequently encounter individuals unable to present necessary documents during registration, complicating the voting process.

Allie Redhorse Young, director of the Native advocacy group Protect the Sacred, highlighted the significant hurdles Native voters face, labeling the situation as “outrageous.” This ongoing struggle for Native voters emphasizes the barriers they encounter in exercising their voting rights.

Federal-only voters, primarily listed due to a lack of citizenship documentation, exhibit significantly lower turnout rates. Only about 19% of these voters participated in the November election, in stark contrast to 79% of standard registered voters. The distribution of these federal-only voters is uneven, with higher concentrations in certain areas, particularly near tribal regions.

Specifically, 7.3% of federal-only voters reside in precincts adjacent to reservations, while Indigenous individuals represent only 3.6% of the state’s voting-age population. Various factors contribute to these disparities, including limited access to documentation during voter registration drives aimed at increasing Indigenous participation.

Many college students face similar challenges. Seven precincts near the state’s major universities account for a significant proportion of federal-only voters. A large percentage of students, many from out of state, register without having proper documentation readily available. The recent changes in law further complicate their eligibility, leading to significant disenfranchisement.

Moreover, data shows that younger voters, particularly those aged 18 to 24, are disproportionately represented among federal-only voters. These individuals frequently lack political affiliation, leading to lower turnout rates compared to older voters. The overall trends suggest that the state’s restrictions on documentation disproportionately affect younger, less established voters.

In urban areas, particularly around the Keys to Change homeless campus in Phoenix, the rate of federal-only voters is also remarkably high. With the campus serving as a vital resource, a significant segment of registered voters residing there lacks essential documents to establish their citizenship, resulting in a mere 19 individuals voting in November despite their substantial presence on the federal-only list.

This dynamic underscores a broader issue within Arizona’s election laws, which seem increasingly inhospitable to several voter demographics. Amid discussions on citizenship and voting rights, the situation illuminates the need for more inclusive frameworks that accommodate the realities faced by many Arizonans.