Arizonans for Voter ID Ballot Initiative Launched Today

Today Arizonans for Voter ID, a committee sponsored by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, filed with the Secretary of State the Arizonans for Voter ID Act ballot initiative. The purpose of the measure is to bring integrity and security to our election process by requiring that no matter how you vote or where you vote, you will be required to provide valid ID when casting your ballot.

Voters in Arizona overwhelmingly agree that they want an election process that they can believe in and trust. One where it is easy to vote yet hard to cheat.

The Arizonans for Voter ID Act Initiative consists of four key provisions:

1. Improving existing in-person Voter ID requirements
2. Requiring Voter ID on mail-in ballots
3. Preventing Ballot Harvesting by enhancing voter ID requirements for in-person ballot drop off
4. Providing a free voter ID option to lawfully registered Arizona voters who need it for voting

Easy to vote, and hard to cheat – that’s the benchmark for elections. US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in the recent Brnovich v. DNC decision upholding two Arizona election integrity laws stated that, “[Arizona law] makes it quite easy for residents to vote.” Arizonans have the option to vote in-person on election day, early in-person beginning 27 days before an election, and by mail with a one-time request or perpetually through the Active Early Voter List – no excuse required.

This initiative maintains Arizona voters’ accessibility to the ballot box while improving our election processes, especially with requiring objective identification on mail-in ballots. This will prevent legal votes from being rejected and illegal votes from being accepted.

Poll after poll shows that Arizonans overwhelmingly support Voter ID. A poll from April showed that 82% of likely Arizona voters agree that all voters should be required to provide identification before voting. This includes majority support from every race, ethnicity, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

And the popularity should be no surprise. Arizonans use these forms of identification commonly in their everyday lives to purchase alcohol or cigarettes, obtain a driver’s license, board a commercial flight, donate blood, open a bank account, purchase a firearm, receive unemployment benefits, obtain auto insurance, purchase or rent a home, confirm identity over the phone, and many other basic transactions.

The Initiative is already supported by a growing coalition of both state and national organizations including Heritage Action, Honest Elections Project Action, Foundation for Government Accountability, Goldwater Institute, Arizona Women of Action, AMAC Action, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Arizona, and EZAZ.org.

“The vast majority of Arizona voters support voter ID because it is a common-sense and critical election integrity practice that is increasingly implemented around the country,” said Scot Mussi, President of the Free Enterprise Club. “This initiative will ensure that no matter when you vote, where you vote, or how you vote, identification will be required.”

The Arizonans for Voter ID Committee is chaired by Arizona voter Vicki Vaughn and Bill Luhrs serving as Chair and Treasurer. To qualify for the 2022 November ballot, the campaign will need to gather 237,645 valid signatures by July 7th.