A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a 2011 Arizona law designed by Republicans to slow the tide of people not registering with their party. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledged that the statute says voter registration forms can specifically list the names of only the two parties with the highest number of members, and list them in the order of most adherents. That means the Republicans and Democrats. And anyone who wants to register as a Libertarian or otherwise has to fill in that party’s name on a line that’s less than an inch long. But Judge Wallace Tashima, writing for the three-judge panel, said that differentiation was not enough of a burden on minor parties — or those who want to sign up for them — to make it illegal.
At issue is a provision tucked into a larger proposal on changes to state election laws pushed during the legislative session by the Arizona Republican Party.
Until 2011, all those registering to vote were given a blank line to insert their preferred party choice.
Former state Sen. Frank Antenori, R-Tucson, who sponsored the legislation, said the result was that many people were simply leaving the space blank. What that meant, he said, is they were being registered as independent, unaffiliated with any party at all.
Full Article: Federal court upholds Arizona election law.