Court rejects claim over Arizona voter registration deadline
A person casts their ballot.
PHOENIX (AP) - A federal appeals court has sided with a lower court that ruled against an Arizona man who says he was denied the right to vote in 2016 because the registration deadline fell on Columbus Day.
Plaintiff David Isabel, then a new Arizona resident, registered to vote at a Motor Vehicle Division office on Oct. 11, 2016. That was the day after the deadline under state law, which is 29 days before the election.
Isabel argued that Arizona’s voter registration deadline was illegally early that year. Because it fell on a holiday when government offices were closed, it was, in effect, more than 30 days before the election, which violates federal law, he argued.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument in a ruling issued on Feb. 11.
Arizona lawmakers have since changed the law to ensure that the situation won’t repeat. Legislation passed in 2017 says that if the registration deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, forms received the next business day are valid.
Tune in to FOX 10 Phoenix for the latest news: