The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that nearly 100,000 residents with unconfirmed citizenship status will be allowed to vote in state and local elections. This decision comes after state officials identified a database error that impacted the citizenship verification of 98,000 voters. Despite the error being resolved, the voters’ citizenship status remained in question, prompting the court to intervene.
The court agreed with Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’ argument that preventing these voters from participating in the election would raise equal protection and due process concerns. The court noted that there was insufficient time before the November 5 general election for these voters to resolve their citizenship documentation issues. As a result, the court ruled that those impacted could vote a full ballot in the upcoming election.
The ruling addresses an issue that has persisted since Arizona began requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in state and local elections in 2005. Those without proof are typically designated as “federal-only” voters, meaning they can only participate in federal elections. The database error primarily affected voters who obtained driver’s licenses before 1996, a group that represents about 2.5% of the state’s registered voters.
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican, had filed a request for the court’s guidance, leading to the swift ruling. The affected voters, many of whom are longtime Arizona residents aged 45 to 60, include a significant number of Republicans, as well as Democrats and independents.
Both Fontes and Richer expressed their approval of the court’s prompt review and resolution, with Fontes celebrating the decision on social media.
This ruling ensures that the nearly 100,000 impacted voters will be allowed to participate fully in the upcoming state and local elections.
But…but…but…our elections are secure! At least that’s what they told us…
