Court rejects request on Arizona ballot issue

A federal appeals court is refusing to order Arizona to count provisional ballots cast by voters whose citizenship wasn’t confirmed when they applied to register to vote.

At issue in a matter decided Thursday was whether a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling should apply retroactively. The Oct. 26 ruling struck down Arizona’s law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund wanted the ruling to apply to provisional ballots cast in the general election.

Elections officials opposed the request, and a 9th Circuit panel of judges denied it in Thursday’s order. It said retroactive application of the ruling would be too burdensome on election officials because counting was already under way.