Arizona is implementing a dual-track voting system with two different ballots for 2014, according to the state website.
The purpose of the new ballots and voting system is to separate voters who registered with federal registration forms and those who used state forms. Every precinct will have one ballot for local, state and federal races and a separate ballot with only the federal races on it. The move singles out all of Arizona's voters who registered using the federal registration form.
According to the website, voters who registered federally can only vote in federal elections, and those who registered with the state and showed proof of citizenship would be allowed to vote in federal, state and local elections.
These changes are a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled Arizona "cannot demand proof of citizenship from voters who registered using the federal form."
The Court also decided to keep a voter mandate from 2004 that states proof of citizenship is needed for those using state forms, according to the state site. The change will affect over 900 people, will cost an extra $250,000 and is being labeled as a restriction on voting rights.
Attorney General Tom Horne and Secretary of State Ken Bennett said "the move is necessary to comply with an Arizona voter mandate as well as federal law." Bennett insists that this separation of ballots and voters is the only way to satisfy the voting system.
Critics like Sam Wercinski, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network claims it's "a war on voters," and points out that this decision contradicts the 20-year-old National Voter Registration Act because it makes registration and voting more complicated.
Besides the confusion all these changes cause, Maricopa County Elections Director Karen Osborne adds that the number of ballot styles will double to 7,000 because of the change.
View the video explaining the change in detail here.
