PHOENIX — Republicans in the Arizona Senate have voted to require voters to include identification paperwork with their mailed ballots.
The measure approved Monday is one of the most controversial of dozens of election bills introduced this year in Arizona.
Republicans say they’re trying to ensure secure elections and address concerns from their constituents over the accuracy of the count.
Democrats say the measure would disenfranchise some voters who fail to include the correct ID.
They say the impact would fall especially hard on voters of color and those with low incomes.
The legislation is likely to confuse longtime mail-in voters, who are accustomed to signing an affidavit on the envelope containing their ballot and writing their phone number below the signature.
Under this bill, they would have to sign a separate piece of paper, including their date of birth and another form of identification. People who don't have a driver's license would provide two other forms of ID.
The bill, HB1713, sponsored by Republican State Sen. JD Mesnard of Chandler, now goes to the House. If the House passes the bill, Gov. Doug Ducey's signature would be needed for the bill to become law.
Republican Legislatures in key battleground states across the country have generated dozens of restrictive election bills coming off the 2020 presidential election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
Arizona and Georgia are tied for the most restrictive bills, with 22 each.
Both states have seen their two Senate seats won by Democratic candidates over the last two cycles.
And in 2020, both states saw the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, score a historic victory. Biden was the first Democrat in 72 years to win Arizona's Maricopa County, the largest county.
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