Key Points:

• Arizona voters could enshrine a requirement to present identification when casting a ballot into the Constitution this November

• Proponents of the measure say it will deliver more secure and faster election results

• Opponents say the measure is an attempt to eliminate mail-in voting

Supporters and opponents of a proposed constitutional amendment requiring Arizona voters to show identification to cast any ballot differed sharply on Thursday over what the measure might mean for the state’s elections.

Supporters of Proposition 144 said during the Citizens Clean Elections debate that it would strengthen election security, make voting easier and lead to faster election results. Opponents countered that its identification requirement could disrupt Arizona’s widely used mail-in voting system and make it harder for some eligible voters to cast ballots.

Tempe City Councilman Randy Keating called the measure a “Trojan horse.” 

“It’s just another distraction, another culture war fight designed to divide Arizonans instead of solving the real problems that we are facing,” Keating said.

Proposition 144, the Voter Identification and Citizenship Voting Requirements Amendment, would require government-issued identification to cast a ballot, including by mail. 

Arizonans already must show proof of citizenship to register to vote, so the measure would reaffirm state policy in the Constitution. It’s unclear how someone voting by mail could show ID, opponents of Prop. 144 note, implying that the measure is meant to discourage or prevent such voting.

But Greg Blackie, director of policy for the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, defended Prop. 144 and added that Arizona could follow the example of Florida, Georgia and Texas, which require voters to provide an identifying number on their ballot envelope — such as the last four digits of their Social Security number or their driver’s license number.

“The right thing to do is to put the principle in the Constitution,” Blackie said. “People should verify who they are before casting a ballot.”

Voters enacted vote-by-mail in 1991. According to the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, 80% of state voters now cast their ballots that way. 

A recent Center for the Future of Arizona poll found that  60% of likely voters believe Arizona already has strong voter identification laws. 

But if Prop. 144 passes, lawmakers would need to rewrite how mail-in voting operates, said Bill Gates, a former Maricopa County supervisor, during a Sept. 22 Arizona State University Mechanics of Democracy Lab panel. 

“How the heck are we going to do that?” Gates asked during the event. 

Arizona voters rejected a measure in 2022 that would have required dates of birth and voter ID numbers for mail-in ballots.