Arizona -- LULAC sues over provisional ballots
The Arizona Republic reports: A national Hispanic organization filed suit in federal court this week seeking to force Arizona election officials to count thousands of so-called "provisional ballots" that were cast in the wrong precinct during Tuesday's election.
LULAC, the League of Latin American Citizens, claims in a U.S. District Court complaint lodged Monday that Arizona balloting procedures violate the Help America Vote Act and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
Provisional ballots are issued when voters believe they are properly registered but their names do not appear on election rolls, or when there is some other electoral question. The ballots are not reviewed until all other votes have been counted, and election officials in each county must first determine which provisional forms must be disqualified.
Steven Reyes, a LULAC attorney, said Arizona's system disenfranchises voters and is not applied uniformly throughout the state. Because Hispanics move frequently and may have language difficulties, he added, a disproportionate number of their ballots are tossed out. -- LULAC demands count of provisional ballots cast in wrong precinct