The US
Supreme Court just ruled against an Arizona law that requires proof of citizenship
in addition to a federal form when registering to vote. This additional
requirement to the federal form was voted on by the people of Arizona and
passed in 2004. The vote was 7-2 with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito
dissenting.
The decision was based on the justices holding to the
federal form being adequate for voter registration. Under the federal
guidelines, the form is considered an oath signed by the registrant stating
they are a US citizen. They can be punished by law if they are found to have
lied under “oath” on this document.
Voter registration requirements are under constant debate.
The election process in the United States is not perfect, but it is part of the
system that helps retain the principles of our founding. Our voting system
provides us the opportunity to voice our opinion through our vote, and respect
the outcome when the counting is complete. If we do not believe our voting
system is fair, trust for our government will deteriorate even further. Due to
the recent revelations about our government keeping an eye on our private lives
in ways we never thought possible in a free nation, we cannot allow our voting
system to become a source of distrust for the American people.
If the Supreme Court is going to uphold that a federal form
is adequate for registering to vote, it is time for our representatives in
Washington to reevaluate the form and what is requires for registration. It
would be nice to believe that an honor system where everyone who registered to
vote was a legal citizen of our nation. However, we will always have people who
are not honorable and will resort to voter fraud. In order to maintain the
trust in our voting system, we must ensure Americans trust those registered to
vote. We require identification for a multitude of activities in the United
States. Shouldn’t we require proof of citizenship for our most sacred individual
duty to our Republic?
By SB
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