Thread: Arizona elections chief seeks proof of Obama's citizenship

Arizona elections chief seeks proof of Obama's citizenship
Reuters By Tim Gaynor | Reuters – 9 hrs ago


(Reuters) - Arizona's secretary of state said Friday he had asked officials in Hawaii to verify that Barack Obama was born in their state in order for the president's name to appear on the November ballot in Arizona.

Ken Bennett, who is Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign co-chairman in Arizona, said he made the request on behalf of a constituent.

Earlier this year, hardline Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio announced that an investigation by his office had found that Obama's birth certificate was a forgery.

Most Republican critics of Obama have given up pushing widely discredited long-running allegations that he was not born in the United States.

Bennett said he is attempting to confirm that Obama's name can appear on Arizona's presidential ballot, the Arizona Republic newspaper said.

While confirming on Friday that he had made the request, Bennett said he did not buy into the "birther" belief.

"First, I have been on the record since 2009 that I believe the president was born in Hawaii. I am not a 'birther,'" he said in a statement.

"At the request of a constituent, I asked the state of Hawaii for a for a verification in lieu of certified copy. We're merely asking them to officially confirm they have the president's birth certificate in their possession and are awaiting their response," he said.

The White House has denied repeated claims that Obama was not born in the United States.

In April 2011, Obama released a longer version of his birth certificate to try to put to rest speculation that he was not born in the country as required by the U.S. Constitution to become president.

The Arizona Republic said Bennett made the request about eight weeks ago and communicated with Hawaii officials as early as four weeks ago.

Bennett's office did not immediately return calls seeking further comment on Friday.

In March, Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio declared Obama's birth certificate a forgery following an investigation by a volunteer posse, acting at the request of conservative Tea Party activists in the Phoenix valley.

The move reviving the birther controversy by Bennett - who is the state's elections chief - met with a weary response from local Democrats on Friday.

"Tea Party Republicans are at it again," Luis Heredia, the executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party, told Reuters.

"By catering to right-wing extremists, Bennett is trying to score cheap political points while sacrificing common sense. Arizona deserves better. It is time to move our state forward."

Arizona elections chief seeks proof of Obama's citizenship - Yahoo! News

"Tea Party Republicans are at it again," Luis Heredia, the executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party, told Reuters.

"By catering to right-wing extremists, Bennett is trying to score cheap political points while sacrificing common sense. Arizona deserves better. It is time to move our state forward."

The leftist Democratic Party is at it again. By catering to socialist handlers with a globalist agenda, they are trying to score cheap political points with anarchists and illegal aliens. JMO

ADDED TO ALIPAC HOMEPAGE News ..

http://www.alipac.us/content/arizona...tizenship-531/

RELATED IS IT REAL OR NOT ALIPAC News ..

The Vetting - Exclusive - Obama's Literary Agent in 1991 Booklet: 'Born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii'

http://www.alipac.us/f9/vetting-excl...-kenya-257783/

"Hi, I'm calling/emailing/tweeting/facebooking/faxing/writing to ask you to please make sure Barack Hussein Obama is eligible to be President of the United States, Thank you ever so much!

Secretary of State Offices for All U.S. States
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Arizona official may keep Obama off ballot

By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY
Updated 2d 11h ago



Updated 3:55 p.m. ET

President Obama's birth certificate continues to make headlines in ways he doesn't want.

The latest: Arizona's top elections official is trying to explain why he's seeking to verify the document before placing Obama on the November ballot.

Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, a Republican exploring a 2014 race for governor, issued a statement insisting he is not a "birther," the word he and others use for those who believe Obama was not born in the United States and is not legitimately president.

Bennett told a radio interviewer yesterday it was "possible" he would keep Obama off the ballot if the issue isn't resolved.

"First, I have been on the record since 2009 that I believe the president was born in Hawaii. I am not a birther," Bennett said in his statement.

"At the request of a constituent, I asked the state of Hawaii for a verification in lieu of certified copy," he said. "We're merely asking them to officially confirm they have the president's birth certificate in their possession and are awaiting their response."

Arizona has been pegged by some political observers to be a possible battleground state in November. Tensions between state officials such as Republican Gov. Jan Brewer and the Obama administration over issues such as immigration have spilled over into the federal courts, putting Arizona under an even hotter spotlight in an election year.

Last April, Obama released the long form of his birth certificate showing that he was born in Hawaii as a way to defuse what he called the "silliness" surrounding the document.

But questions persist. Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio spent six months investigating Obama's birth certificate and alleged it was forged.

In part because of Arpaio's investigation, Bennett said on KFYI radio that he received over 1,200 e-mails asking him to look into Obama's birth certificate. Bennett told radio host Mike Broomhead on Thursday that he believes "the president was born in Hawaii -- at least I hope he was" and stated he was "not playing to the birthers."

He went on to explain that he had been trying for eight weeks to verify Obama's certificate and was surprised by how challenging it has been to get a response from Hawaii officials.

Obama's Justice Department sued the Maricopa County (Arizona) Sheriff's office earlier this month, claiming that Arpaio has led the practice of racial profiling of Latinos. Arpaio called the lawsuit a political stunt to try to win Latino votes in the upcoming election.

Arizona official may keep Obama off ballot