By Terri Jo Neff |
Several Arizonans, Republican state lawmakers, and organizations are joining forces to secure enough signatures so voters can decide during the November 2022 General Election whether to strengthen existing voter ID requirements.
Arizonans for Voter ID is a political committee sponsoring the ballot initiative which seeks to revise existing voter ID laws for in-person voting and vote-by-mail ballots, as well as individuals who return another voter’s ballot.
Paperwork for the “Arizonans for Voter ID Act” initiative was filed Monday with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office by committee chair Vicki Vaughn and Bill Luhrs, committee treasurer.
House Majority Leader Ben Toma (R-LD22) will join other lawmakers, including Senators Warren Petersen (R-LD12) and J.D. Mesnard (R-LD17), for a press conference Tuesday at 1:45 p.m. on the Senate lawn to formally launch the initiative effort.
“The vast majority of Arizona voters support voter ID because it is a common-sense and critical election integrity practice that is increasingly implemented around the country,” according to Scot Mussi, president of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “This initiative will ensure that no matter when you vote, where you vote, or how you vote, identification will be required.”
In addition to Arizona Free Enterprise Club, other coalition members include The Goldwater Institute, Heritage Action for America, Republican Liberty Caucus of Arizona, Foundation for Government Accountability, Arizona Women of Action, AMAC Action, and the Honest Elections Project Action.
“Election experts have always recognized voting by mail as the voting method most susceptible to error and fraud,” said Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project Action. “Adding objective identification requirements to Arizona’s mail-in ballots builds voter confidence in elections by ensuring only legal votes are accepted and counted.”
Under the Act, voters who receive their ballot by mail would still sign the voter affidavit section, but would also include their date of birth, In addition, the voter would need to include the last four digits of their social security number, Arizona driver’s license number, or state identification card.
“Arizonans show identification all the time in their daily lives to purchase alcohol, receive unemployment benefits, make major transactions, and board a plane, among others. Requiring identification before casting a ballot is necessary for our elections,” Vaughn said in announcing that the process got underway Monday.
Those interested in more information about the initiative can contact info@azvoterid.com.
