The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday, October 13th that Arizona’s Voter Registration deadline is now October 15th.
Go to the Arizona Secretary of State website to learn more and to register to vote by the October 15th deadline.
Mi Familia Vota v. Katie Hobbs is the case should you wish to read the decision. Mi Familia argued that because of COVID-19 they were unable to register as many voters as they usually do. Because of COVID they asked for an extension to the voter registration deadline to Oct. 23rd. The lower court agreed and with that came the appeal.
The court found that the restrictions imposed by the Governor because of Covid-19 were justified on grounds of public health and that the statutory deadline of Oct. 5th did not impose a “severe burden” on the Plaintiffs. The Court stated that while the restrictions made Mi Familia Vota’s efforts more difficult it has been possible over the last six months to register people to vote because online and mail registration was provided. Additionally, the Governor’s Executive Order in March specifically excluded constitutionally protected speech such as voter registration.
Importantly, the Court agreed with Secretary of State Hobbs that the extension of the deadline to October 23rd created a burden on the State, but most importantly the County Recorders. The burden to County Recorders was substantial, particularly in the rural areas. These Recorders have limited resources and small staffs of 2-3 people making it extremely difficult to process voter registrations while mailing and processing early ballots.
Additionally, the Secretary of State pointed out that the extended Voter Registration deadline made it more difficult to comply with other State Statutes regarding legal processing of the election and counting of ballots.
Both the Arizona Attorney General and the Secretary of State argued for a prospective stay, with the Secretary of State asking for a grace period. The Court agreed with the Secretary of State and granted the prospective stay with a two-day grace period.
Key Dates for Arizona Election
Arizonans must register to vote no later than October 15, 2020.