Arizona Governor vetoes voting ID mandate
Saying that it shouldn't keep voters from getting provisional ballots, Gov. Janet Napolitano on Friday vetoed a bill to implement a voter-passed law's mandate that people first show identification before getting ballots at polling places. The Democratic governor said the bill passed by the Republican-led Legislature conflicts with the federal Help America to Vote Act's requirements for provisional ballots and could result in properly registered Arizonans being denied the right to vote. The identification requirement was a cornerstone of Proposition 200, an immigration law approved by Arizona voters in November. The other chief provision of the law put on the ballot through an initiative campaign limited illegal immigrants' eligibility for public services and benefits. Napolitano said in her veto letter that she looked forward "to working cooperatively with the Legislature to promptly pass a law that implements Proposition 200 in a manner that is consistent with federal law and that allows all legal Arizonan citizens to receive at least a provisional ballot." The bill was introduced in the Legislature at the request of Secretary of State Jan Brewer, a Republican who said she disagreed with Napolitano. The veto places in jeopardy the state's ability to implement identification requirement in time for September local elections, Brewer said. [more]