Arizona Free Enterprise Club
By Andrew Oxford | Arizona Republic
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Arizona ban nearly a year ago, but put that ruling on hold while state officials appealed.
The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday it would hear oral arguments March 2 on an Arizona law that forbids anyone but a family member, household member or caregiver from turning in another person’s early ballot.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Arizona’s ban on so-called “ballot harvesting” nearly a year ago, ruling that it violated the Voting Rights Act, disproportionately affects Black, Latino and Indigenous voters and was enacted with discriminatory intent. The court also struck down a state law disqualifying ballots cast in the wrong precinct.
Swirling around the case, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, are questions about how exactly judges should decide whether election policies are discriminatory and have a significant impact on communities that are supposed to be protected under the Voting Rights Act. The outcome could have national implications.
The 9th Circuit ruling also noted Arizona’s “long history of race-based voting discrimination.”
