Decisions like this is why they are called "The 9th Circus Court." It seems the voters of a state means nothing to them
9th Circuit Court blocks Arizona voter ID law
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5505622 Arizona's voting law is in upheaval a little more than a month before the general election.
Late Wednesday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco blocked the enforcement of Proposition 200.
Arizona voters passed Proposition 200 back in 2004.
It requires voters to show identification at the polls and to have proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
At least six advocacy groups, Including MALDEF, an Hispanic rights advocacy group, filed a lawsuit challenging the proposition.
They claimed it would disenfranchise some voters.
Secretary of State Jan Brewer sent out this statement, Wednesday night expressing concern over the timing of the court's decision, which she says "will lead to confusion at the polls."
Attorney General Terry Goddard said in a statement Wednesday night that he will "promptly seek a review of the court's decision" and appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.
News 4 wanted to know what the local voters thought of the timing of the decision by the 9th Circuit Court.
Opinions are mixed.
"I can see both sides of the argument. It makes sense though that there's ID's because there seems to be a lot of malicious people so it's kind of protecting everyone by being a little bit more strict. I can understand that," says Pima Community College student, Jared McFarland.
The 2004 law requires voters at polling places to show government-issued picture IDs or two pieces of other non-photo identification.
Some people we talked to said the federal court should "butt-out" and uphold what the voters want.
Jason Parrish, a long time Tucsonan who voted for Proposition 200, said, "It's a situation where we made up our mind what we wanted to do in this state and someone came along and said, 'You shouldn't be allowed to do this.' I question why they did it. I don't agree with (the court's decision) at all."
Tucsonan Robert Jenkins told us, "You should be able to vote even if you're a homeless person. If you don't have any ID, you should be able to vote if you're registered, so I agree with their decision that you don't need it."
Jenkins added, "It seems like it makes it a little easier for voter corruption, possibly, so they'll have to figure out some measure to check on voting, but I like their decision in general."
"I think that the court should respect the ruling that we have here in Arizona and that it's okay for people to show their ID when they vote. I think it's a good idea," says Sarah Sparks, a Tucsonan.
The court ruled that the injunction will stand until the court decides on the appeal, which could take months.
That means those Proposition 200 requirements most likely won't be enforced November 7th.
Early voting began Wednesday and you have until midnight Monday to register, if you want to vote in November.
