A public issue concerning election security and voting rights has come up as a result of a heated disagreement between Attorney General Kris Mayes and Representative Nick Kupper over who should provide proof of voter citizenship.
The Disagreement
Representative Nick Kupper criticized Kris Mayes on social media, calling her position "completely insane." Kupper disagrees with Mayes’ belief that the government should prove whether someone is eligible to vote.
"[Kris Mayes] is saying that the burden of proof is on the state to prove that someone on the voter roles isn’t a citizen rather than the voter proving they are a citizen," Kupper said.
What Mayes Decided
On Monday, Arizona Capitol Times reported that Mayes ruled that tens of thousands of Arizona voters can stay on the registration lists even though they never showed the required citizenship documents. These voters will be allowed to participate in elections.
The Attorney General said county election officials cannot simply remove these people from the voter rolls without solid proof that they shouldn't be there. Even if voters ignore requests to provide citizenship paperwork, that's not enough reason to disregard them from the lists.
"County officials can ask voters to prove their citizenship, but they can't cancel registrations without clear evidence that someone is ineligible," Mayes explained on X.
Court Battle Background
The Arizona Supreme Court got involved in this dispute last year. In a close 5-4 decision, judges allowed the state to keep enforcing part of a 2022 law that requires citizenship proof for new voter registrations.
The Republican National Committee had asked the court to pause a lower court ruling that went against this law. The high court gave them part of what they wanted. For now, Arizona can reject voter registration forms that don't include citizenship documents.
The Rules
Arizona law says people must show documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote in state and local elections. This requirement has caused ongoing legal battles about voting access and election security.
Different Views
Mayes believes election officials should have strong evidence before removing anyone from the voter rolls. She thinks it's the government's job to prove someone shouldn't vote, not the other way around.
Kupper and other critics argue this backwards; they believe individual voters should be responsible for proving they're eligible to participate in elections.
