This Week In Voting Rights: Major Ruling Knocks Down AZ Election Restrictions

Major Ruling Knocks Down AZ’s Voting Restrictions:  The full court of appeals for the Ninth U.S. Circuit struck down certain voting restrictions in Arizona, ruling that that they were discriminatory towards American Indian, Hispanic, and African American citizens. Specifically the court said that Arizona’s practice of discarding ballots not cast at a voter’s assigned precinct had a discriminatory impact on those communities, violating the Voting Rights Act. The court also said that an Arizona law that banned collection of absentee ballots by third parties had a discriminatory intent, making it a violation of both the VRA and 15th Amendment, as well as a discriminatory impact.