Sen. Mark Kelly warns Arizona's Prop. 144 could strip mail-in voting rights

Senator Mark Kelly addressed a gathering of United Food and Commercial Workers members and religious leaders in Phoenix, warning that Proposition 144 would undermine Arizona’s dominant mail-in voting system by imposing a government-ID requirement for absentee ballots. Pastor Aubrey Barnwell likened the restriction to historic Jim Crow barriers, emphasizing that mail ballots comprised more than 80 % of votes in 2022 and 2020.

Kelly called the measure a Republican strategy to retain power during the upcoming midterms and questioned its necessity given existing in-person ID rules. The proposal also seeks to bar non-citizens from voting or donating to campaigns and would allow ballots to be counted at a chosen polling place on Election Day. Supporters, including the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, argue the changes improve security, while critics point to potential disenfranchisement. Kelly urged voters to study the ballot and reject the amendment.