Nearly 100,000 Arizonans are facing uncertainty regarding their eligibility to vote in the upcoming general election due to an error in the voter registration system, an issue that is now headed for the courtroom. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, if a driver obtained their license before 1996, they might not have the required proof of citizenship in the Motor Vehicle Division's records, even though Arizona law has mandated such proof for voting since 2004. An audit revealed that the problem has persisted for years, with the majority of affected individuals likely being U.S. citizens but lacking the necessary documented proof.
The demographics of the affected voters skew "between the ages of 45 and 60, and over 60% are in Maricopa County, with Republicans constituting the largest group, followed by independents and Democrats," said Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. The Maricopa County Recorder's Office advocates for limiting these voters to a federal-only ballot – a proposal that has sparked legal actions against the State Secretary's Office. "The Secretary argues that it is too close to the election to implement such a change and that it would be unduly burdensome on voters and deprive them of their voting rights," Richer wrote in his X account.
Later today, my office (@RecordersOffice) is suing the Secretary's office (@AZSecretary) regarding how to handle certain voters who need to provide documented proof of citizenship.
— Stephen Richer—MaricopaCountyRecorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) September 17, 2024
Since 2004, Arizona has been the only state in the country to require that a voter provide…
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Amplifying the issue is the pressing timetable: Arizona's scheduled delivery date for the first ballots to military and overseas voters was just days away. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican, brought a lawsuit on Tuesday against Fontes, a Democrat, over whether these voters should have access to a full ballot in November. In light of this situation, Fontes emphasized that the voters impacted are primarily older and from varying political backgrounds. "Republicans are the plurality of voters, followed by independents and Democrats," Fontes said, as reported by Los Angeles Times.
Thus, the stage is set: a struggle over the proper path. While the backend error has purportedly been rectified, officials are at odds regarding how to proceed with the approximately 97,000 Arizonans who may have been misregistered. In a move to ensure the integrity of the election, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has stepped in to order an independent audit, and the affected voters are to be contacted soon. Fontes’s office is working to create a portal for citizens to submit their proof of citizenship if necessary as part of these outreach efforts, according to the same Los Angeles Times report.
Amidst this turmoil, the broader political canvas is not to be overlooked. Echoes of former President Trump's debunked allegations about noncitizen voting influence the discourses around proof of citizenship laws – sentiments that have transcended state lines to inspire legislative gestures like Congressman Mike Johnson's SAVE Act proposition, aiming to require proof of citizenship for voting at a national level. Yet, election officials consistently report such instances of noncitizen voting to be exceedingly rare. "It’s based on this mythology, that there’s an enormous amount of non-citizen voting that’s happening that might skew an election one direction or another. It’s crazy," Fontes told The Times in an interview last week. As the legal battle unfolds, voters in Arizona are encouraged to stay informed and to vote early if possible.
