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Feds OK Ariz. Immigration Law Requirements NewsMax.com WiresPHOENIX - Federal voting-rights enforcers on Monday authorized Arizona to implement new voter identification requirements required by a state immigration law approved by voters in November. The law requires that people provide proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, when registering to vote and show specified forms of identification when casting a ballot at a polling place. Story Continues Below Supporters have said the requirements are intended to prevent voter fraud. But a civil-rights group and Democratic legislators recently urged the Department of Justice to reject the law. They argued the changes will erect barriers that will hinder minorities' participation in elections and hamper grassroots voter registration drives. The Justice Department declined to overturn the law, but reserved the right to re-examine the issue if new information emerges during the rest of the 60-day review period. Arizona needs federal clearance of all election laws and regulations because of the state's history of violations of minorities' voting rights. The Justice Department's endorsement of the identification requirements drew criticism from a top Democratic lawmaker. "The thing we've never realized about this is the impact it's going to have on all of us ... what we're going to have to do to register and to vote," said House Minority Leader Phil Lopes. Arizona officials said they did not know whether the law would be implemented by March 3 elections scheduled in some local jurisdictions. A call to a spokeswoman for Protect Arizona, a group that pushed for the law, was not immediately returned Monday.
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