Thursday, 14 Apr 2011

The  battle over presidential candidates' birth certificates took its first legislative turn when Arizona’s Senate approved a bill requiring all presidential candidates to provide documentation proving they were born in the United States before getting on the state ballot.

The bill, which passed 20 to 9 on a party-line vote Wednesday, still has to be approved by Arizona's House. A Democrat who voted against the measure claimed that if it becomes law, it is likely to be struck down by the courts, reports the Arizona Daily Star.

The original bill, which would have required presidential candidates to provide their long-form birth certificate, was amended to allow other documents such as baptism, circumcision or hospital birth records.

Article Two of the Constitution requires the president to be a “natural born citizen.” The Arizona bill did not specifically mention President Barack Obama, who has consistently refused to release his long-form certificate. Many Republicans, led by prospective presidential candidate Donald Trump, have cast doubt on Obama’s claim that he was born in Hawaii.

Phoenix Democrat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema claimed the measure would not pass legal muster, but GOP Senate President Russell Pearce disagreed, saying: ‘This is an obligation the state has.”

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