SCOTUS ruling on Arizona voting laws causes concerns among voting rights advocates

Voting rights advocates express concerns over SCOTUS ruling on Arizona election laws

In a 6-3 decision, the SCOTUS kept two Arizona laws in place, including a limit on who can drop a ballot off at the polls. Activists say this will affect minorities the most, and worry what the ruling means in the future.

PHOENIX - In a ruling, the United States Supreme Court sided with Arizona’s Attorney General over some of the state’s voting laws.

This 6-3 decision will keep two Arizona laws in place, including a limit on who can drop a ballot off at the polls.

State Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who is also running for the U.S. Senate, called it a landmark case for his office.

"Arizona has a plethora of ways for people to vote, and yet, the DNC came in here to try and challenge our laws, and yet, they don’t do anything about New York, which has more restrictive laws, or other jurisdictions," said Brnovich.

Voting rights advocates sound concern

Voting rights advocates, meanwhile, are worried about what this means in the future to try and challenge measures they see as restrictive.

Advocates, including the Democratic Party, say the ruling dismantles the Voting Rights Act. Belen Sisa with the Democracy Project says the laws hit minority communities hard.

"These communities tend to not want to go to the polls and send in their ballots last minute. which you can’t do because they have to get there by Election Day for it to count, so harvesting ballots is what we use to ensure that those voices were heard," said Sisa.

The laws were already in place in the 2020 election, when Democrats did well in the state, but the bigger concern for advocates is a Supreme Court that could make it harder to challenge other voting laws, going forward.

"Considering the laws that are being put in place across the country, it seems like the other side is just trying to make it harder," said Sisa.

"People are using this as an opportunity to score cheap political points and demonize people they disagree with," said Brnovich.

This decision already has some ripple effects, with officials in Pima County announcing a move to a ‘vote center’ model, meaning person can vote at those hubs without being in their precinct.