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 the latter argument, I’m not sure I buy the former. Who else is supposed to handle the job of verifying eligibility? That is the Secretary of State’s job in most states, for most political parties at least (Republicans and Democrats tend to get a spot automatically).| MORE ›
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