WASHINGTON, D.C. – Republican
National Committee (RNC) Chairman Joe Gruters released the following statement
after an Arizona court ruled that a lawsuit from the RNC and Arizona GOP
(AZGOP) challenging the state’s law allowing non-residents to vote can proceed:
“Individuals who have never lived in Arizona should not have a say in Arizona’s
elections,” said Chairman Gruters. “Democrat Secretary of State
Adrian Fontes wants to bypass the Arizona Constitution and let these
non-residents vote, but the RNC and AZGOP will continue fighting to ensure only
citizens who reside in the state are voting in Arizona’s elections.”
Background:
- The
RNC and AZGOP are challenging an Arizona law that
lets people who have never lived in the United States register to vote in
Arizona.
- These
individuals can cast a ballot using a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot
(FWAB), even though they have never lived in Arizona or anywhere in the
U.S.
- This
law violates the Arizona Constitution, which requires voters to have lived
in the state before they can vote.
- Democrat
Secretary of State Adrian Fontes asked the court to throw out the case,
claiming the RNC and AZGOP didn’t have legal standing to sue.
- Today,
the court rejected Fontes’ motion,
confirming that the RNC and the AZGOP have the right to bring the case
forward and allowing the lawsuit to proceed to protect Arizona’s elections
and ensure only eligible U.S. citizens can vote.
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