The Arizona Republic
A divided federal appeals court has upheld Arizona’s new ban on “ballot harvesting,” finding the state’s need to hold orderly elections outweighs any unproven impact it might have on minority voters.
“This case is not one in which ‘qualified voters might be turned away from the polls,'” two of the judges wrote for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a ruling Friday. “Rather, it is one in which voters are precluded from giving their ballots to third party ballot collectors and organizations must use an alternative means of mobilizing their voters.”
The 2-1 ruling applies to Arizona’s House Bill 2023, a law passed by the Legislature earlier this year. It requires ballots that are dropped off to be delivered by the voter or a family member or caregiver.
