Today, Gov. Doug Ducey and Arizona Republicans are making another attempt to disenfranchise minority voters in the state. The group petitioned the Supreme Court to reinstate a pair of voting restrictions that will make it more difficult for people of color to vote in the fall.
The restrictions were struck down by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year because they “have a discriminatory impact on American Indian, Hispanic, and African American voters in Arizona.”
The first discriminatory policy requires Arizona precincts to throw away ballots that are cast at the wrong polling place, and the second prohibits another person from delivering ballots for a voter. The 9th Circuit Court found that both policies were much more likely to burden minority voters than white voters.
Every State, Every Vote Co-Chair Oregon Gov. Kate Brown released the following statement:
“Gov. Doug Ducey and the Arizona Republican Party’s attempt to disenfranchise minority voters is an attack on our democracy. Racial discrimination is unconstitutional and immoral. I am appalled by Gov. Ducey’s attempt to suppress voters in his state, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people of color have faced massive roadblocks to get to the ballot box. Governors should be working to expand voting rights and to make elections more accessible, not fighting to tear them down. I hope the Supreme Court will uphold the 9th Circuit Court ruling.”
