Supreme Court upholds Arizona voting laws

The state’s election rules limit who can return early ballots on someone else’s behalf and disqualify ballots cast in the wrong precinct. The conservative-led Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Arizona’s laws do not violate the Voting Rights Act. Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion found the rules only posed minor inconveniences and were not racially motivated. The three liberal justices strongly opposed what they called an effort to weaken anti-discrimination legislation.

What does this mean for future elections? Republican-led states have passed several voting reform laws in recent months, citing the need for stronger election integrity. Democrats have largely argued that the restrictions unfairly affect minority voters. The Supreme Court ruling might help Republicans deflect those challenges.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Stew about the partisan debates surrounding Arizona’s election audit.