Arizona governor vetoes 'birther bill'

Arizona governor vetoes 'birther' billSTORY HIGHLIGHTSGov. Jan Brewer says the bill is "a bridge too far"It would have required presidential hopefuls to prove they were born in the U.S.President Barack Obama has fought allegations that he wasn't born in America (CNN) -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill late Monday that would have required President Barack Obama and other presidential candidates to prove they were American citizens, born in the United States, before their names could have been placed on the state ballot.

The so-called "birther bill" got final approval in the state House last week. Now that Brewer, a Republican, has vetoed it, the bill will not become law unless legislators vote to override her veto.

"As a former Secretary of State, I do not support designating one person as a gatekeeper to the ballot for a candidate, which could lead to arbitrary or politically-motivated decisions," the governor wrote in a letter addressed to the Arizona House speaker.

Under the measure, if there were any dispute about whether a candidate had proved he or she had been born in the United States, Arizona's secretary of state would have the final say.

"This measure creates significant new problems while failing to do anything constructive for Arizona," she added.

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