Saying that it shouldn't keep voters
from getting provisional ballots, Gov. Janet Napolitano on Friday
vetoed a bill to implement a voter-passed law's mandate that people
first show identification before getting ballots at polling places. The
Democratic governor said the bill passed by the Republican-led
Legislature conflicts with the federal Help America to Vote Act's
requirements for provisional ballots and could result in properly
registered Arizonans being denied the right to vote. The identification
requirement was a cornerstone of Proposition 200, an immigration law
approved by Arizona voters in November. The other chief provision of
the law put on the ballot through an initiative campaign limited
illegal immigrants' eligibility for public services and benefits.
Napolitano said in her veto letter that she looked forward "to working
cooperatively with the Legislature to promptly pass a law that
implements Proposition 200 in a manner that is consistent with federal
law and that allows all legal Arizonan citizens to receive at least a
provisional ballot." The bill was introduced in the Legislature at the
request of Secretary of State Jan Brewer, a Republican who said she
disagreed with Napolitano. The veto places in jeopardy the state's
ability to implement identification requirement in time for September
local elections, Brewer said. [more]
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