BY LINDA BENTLEY | OCTOBER 20, 2010
In Arizona, illegal aliens, felons and
multi-state residents vote unabated
‘His office ensures that only legal state residents are able to register to vote’
Ken Bennett
PHOENIX – Although Arizona voters passed Proposition 200 in 2004, which, in part, was supposed to require proof of citizenship to register to vote and require voters to present ID at the polls, those who shouldn’t register or vote continue to do so unabated.
According to Maricopa County Elections Department Director of Communications Yvonne Reed, unless a felon checks the box on his voter registration form stating he is indeed a felon, there is no system to flag felons to verify if their voting rights have been restored.
Reed said, unless there is something that triggers the search, such as a felon who has not had his rights restored getting called for jury duty, in which case the court will notify the registrar, there is no notification process and the voter registration system is simply not sophisticated enough to flag anyone by social security number or any other indicator.
She also said they no longer “purge” the voter registration rolls. What they do now is if a person has not voted in two presidential elections, they are placed on an “inactive” list.
If they come back and vote again with proof they’re at the same address, they can vote.
This means, with early voting, anyone with multi-state residency, could easily vote in the same national election in more than one state.
The Arizona Constitution only allows voting on a specific day and states: “There shall be a general election of representatives in congress, and of state, county, and precinct officers on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of the first even numbered year after the year in which Arizona is admitted to statehood and biennially thereafter.”
It doesn’t say a general election may be held for thirty days leading up to and on the first Tuesday after the first Monday, etc., it cites a very specific day.
Apparently no one has challenged Arizona’s early voting provisions in court.
A campaign press release for Secretary of State Ken Bennett stated, “As Secretary of State, Bennett is protecting the integrity of Arizona elections. His office ensures that only legal state residents are able to register to vote. And Bennett is working with county officials to strictly enforce requirements that voters show ID at the polls. It's about enforcing the law, following the will of the people!”
Sonoran News wrote back to Bennett’s campaign to inform them in Arizona, only citizens who are legal state residents are able to register to vote. And, if legal residents, or illegal residents, who are not citizens, are registering to vote, there is no integrity to our elections.
Bennett’s campaign neither responded nor sent out a correction.
Meanwhile Arizona continues to employ the honor system for voter registration, despite the fact some of those registering to vote are not citizens, illegally present, felons, have multi-state residences and multi-state voter registrations, and lied about it on their registration form.
Prop. 200 was implemented, begrudgingly, by then Governor Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Terry Goddard, with rules that achieved exactly what they intended – nothing.
