This week, Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill ensuring that only U.S. citizens vote in Arizona elections.

State Rep. Jake Hoffman brought House Bill 2492 to the Legislature, requiring federal-only voters, who are only eligible to cast a vote in Arizona's federal elections, to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Without the required documentation, they will not be eligible to vote. County recorders must also reject state voter registration applications that do not include proof of citizenship.

The new law also ensures that elections offices and county recorders have the necessary data to determine if a person registered via a federal form is a citizen or not. Under HB 2492, a person who registers with the federal form and is found to be a non-citizen can be prosecuted under existing statutes.

Some of you may ask, "Why is this even necessary?"

Arizona already prohibits anyone from voting in state elections without providing proof of citizenship. However, because of a lawsuit filed in 2017 by the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Arizona Students' Association against then-Secretary of State Michele Reagan and a subsequent consent agreement, voters can cast what is known as a federal-only ballot, which only includes races for federal offices — president, U.S. Senate and Congress.

The case did not clarify how local election officials were to treat federal registration applications lacking proof of citizenship. Some county recorders have been accepting federal registrations without proof of citizenship, which necessitated clarification of existing policy and law.