PHOENIX – All Voting is Local Arizona State Director Alex Gulotta released the following statement ahead of today’s oral arguments in Brnovich v. DNC before the U.S. Supreme Court:
“Arizona’s restrictive and overly burdensome ballot-collection and out-of-precinct policies have proven to limit access to the ballot for voters of color. The Supreme Court must affirm the protections enshrined in the Voting Rights Act and ensure our elections are free and fair for all eligible Americans regardless of color, origin, or gender.”
Background:
In 2016, a group of Arizona voters and the Democratic Party filed suit to challenge two Arizona policies as discriminatory. Earlier that year, the Arizona legislature limited who could provide ballot-collection assistance to mail voters. Arizona also had a policy of entirely rejecting ballots cast in the wrong precinct — including votes for president or statewide office. Both policies limited access for voters of color. The suit aims to ensure all eligible Arizona voters have an equal opportunity to participate in our democracy and affirm that racial discrimination has no place in our elections. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals cited abundant evidence that the Arizona policies make it harder for voters of color to cast their ballots and violate the Voting Rights Act.