Phoenix, AZ – As has been the norm as of late, Arizona’s state legislature passed another law, that as usual, is highly controversial. The new law demands that all candidates running for President of the United States provide a long-form birth certificate in order to be on the state of Arizona’s ballots. However, there is an exception to providing a long-form birth certificate and, and that would be if the person on the ballot provides two or more other permitted (substitution) documents. The documents that can take the place of a birth certificate would include any two of the following: an early baptismal certificate, circumcision certificate, hospital birth records, postpartum medical record signed by the person who delivered the child or an early census record.
Many opponents of this bill say that this is a direct attack on the current U.S. President Barack Obama. Pres. Obama, provided a short-form birth certificate, the standard that Hawaii provides to those who ask for one, not the long-form birth certificate as would be required by the new Arizona bill, which has yet to be signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer, a Republican. Supporters say that this is not about Pres. Obama as if he was born on U.S. soil he should have nothing to hide.
Gov. Jan Brewer has made no public comments about her signing or vetoing the new legislation. According Arizona law a governor has five days to sign or veto a piece of legislation and should no action be taken the bill would become law automatically.
The Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett has publicly expressed his concern about how the bill might violate the Burges’ amendment by a state developing qualifications in order for someone to run for a federal position. However, some supporters say it is completely constitutional as the constitution dictates that only someone who was born on U.S. soil is eligible to run for office as the president and if the state is the only institution that is willing to enforce the constitution let it be.
