The Arizona House of Representatives rejected on Wednesday a measure supported by most Republican state lawmakers that would have required voters to provide proof of identification with their mail-in ballots.
Two Republicans joined the Democrats in the GOP-led chamber for a 31-29 vote to defeat S.B. 1713, which passed the Republican-led Senate on March 8.
The measure sought to require voters to provide their date of birth and some form of identifying number as part of the completed affidavit accompanying their mail-in ballots.
Under the proposal, a driver’s license number, the last four digits of the voter’s Social Security Number, or the number of a voter’s non-operating identification license number would have been acceptable.
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House Democrats argued the bill would disenfranchise otherwise eligible voters, including some Native Americans who may have discrepancies between their birth date and other identifying documents.
“This bill would disproportionately affect our Tribal elders who don’t know their date of birth & have inconsistent birthdays across their records,” Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren wrote on Twitter. “Tribal members also wouldn’t be able to use their Tribal ID’s to vote.”
SB1713 has been looming all session. This bill would disproportionately affect our Tribal elders who don’t know their date of birth & have inconsistent birthdays across their records. Tribal members also wouldn’t be able to use their Tribal ID’s to vote. https://t.co/VlIKKSS1nk
— Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren (@NygrenJasmine) May 26, 2021
Conservative lobbying group Heritage Action urged Arizona lawmakers to pass S.B. 1713 back in April, along with S.B. 1485, which Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law on May 11. The latter legislation creates a system to remove certain inactive Arizona voters from an early voting list.
Republican-led legislatures across the country have sought voting law changes after the 2020 election to avoid the potential for fraud, with Georgia engaging in perhaps the most high-profile reform effort.
Republicans have employed other means on behalf of their election integrity initiatives. An audit of the 2020 election in Arizona’s Maricopa County, which the Arizona Senate authorized, is ongoing despite criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to Reps. Michelle Udall and Joel John, the two Republicans who opposed S.B. 1713, for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
