Arizona Proposition 200 (Gonzalez v. Brewer)
In November 2004, Arizona voters passed Proposition 200, which requires that voter registration applicants provide documentary proof of citizenship. In addition it required that voters provide proof of identity at the polls on Election Day. Since its implementation, over 30,000 applicants have been rejected for failing to provide the additional paperwork required for voter registration and thousands more have been turned away at the polls on Election Day for failing to show satisfactory identification.
On May 9, 2006, MALDEF filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona challenging the voter restrictions of Proposition 200. MALDEF represents Latino organizations and individuals who are negatively affected by the new law. In August 2008, following a trial on the merits, U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silver upheld Prop 200 and the case is currently on appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
MALDEF remains committed to fighting laws and regulations that place unreasonable economic and bureaucratic burdens on U.S. citizens seeking to vote.
