LA Times ^ | 18 May 2012 | Kim Geiger
WASHINGTON -- In a revival of the controversy surrounding President Obama’s Hawaii birth certificate, a state official in Arizona says it’s “possible” that he’ll hold Obama’s name off the Arizona ballot if Hawaii officials don’t send him confirmation that the president was born there.
Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, a Republican who is exploring a 2014 race for governor, says he waded into the issue after receiving more than 1,200 emails from people requesting that he verify Obama’s birth in Hawaii before placing the president’s name on the 2012 ballot.
“First of all, I’m not playing to the birthers,” Bennett said in a radio interview with KFYI radio host Mike Broomhead. “I’m not a birther. I believe that the president was born in Hawaii -- or at least I hope he was.”
“But my responsibility as Secretary of State is to make sure that the ballots in Arizona are correct and that those people whose names are on the ballots have met the qualifications for the office that they’re seeking,” he said.
Ever since Obama ran for president in 2008, some critics known as “birthers” have suggested, without proof, that he was born in Kenya. The Constitution states that only natural-born citizens can serve as president or vice president.
In an effort to put the issue to rest, the Obama campaign in 2008 released a certificate of live birth from the Hawaii Health Department. Still unsatisfied, Obama’s detractors demanded release of his original birth certificate, which is not considered a public record under Hawaii law.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
