Free Republic

On Monday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a bill that would require a presidential candidate to provide, among other things, a long-form birth certificate. If that is impossible to provide, the bill provided a list of alternatives, among them, an early baptism certificate or circumcision documentation. In a statement, Brewer stated that she didn’t feel the verification of eligibility should be left in the hands of the Secretary of State, which is a political office in Arizona. She also apparently was uncomfortable with some of the alternative documentation, like the circumcision documentation, perhaps on privacy grounds. While I can understand...

Guv's signature would make state 1st to call for candidates' documentationLawmakers in Arizona have become the first legislature in the nation to adopt a law that would require candidates for president to prove their eligibility under the Constitution's special requirements for that office: being at least 35 years of age, a resident for 14 years and a "natural born Citizen." House Bill 2177 now has been moved to the desk of Gov. Jan Brewer who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without her signature. Confirmation came in a brief message from Rep. Judy Burges, one of...

ARIZONA SHOOTS BUT MISSES THE MARK Dean C. Haskins Since the last presidential election, a handful of state legislators have been working to advance bills that would ultimately require presidential candidates to prove their constitutional eligibility under Article II Section 1, where the “natural born citizen” requirement resides. While it is true that Arizona has recently been making some bold legislative statements on other fronts, it is unfortunate that they have chosen to advance their version of this bill, since it is merely a shell of what it purports to accomplish. Sadly, it appears Arizona has fallen prey to the...

The Arizona Legislature gave final approval late Thursday night to a proposal that would require President Barack Obama and other presidential candidates to prove they are U.S. citizens before their names can appear on the state's ballot. (snip) The Arizona proposal would require political parties and presidential candidates to hand in affidavits stating a candidate's citizenship and age and to provide the candidate's birth certificate and a sworn statement saying where the candidate has lived for 14 years. If candidates don't have a copy of their birth certificates, they could meet the requirement by providing baptismal or circumcision certificates, hospital...

AUSTIN — A state representative on Tuesday filed a bill that would require any candidate for president or vice president of the United States to show his or her birth certificate to the Texas secretary of state, another indication of just how ambitious the conservative agenda for next year’s session of the Texas Legislature is expected to be.