In a significant ruling on Friday, the Arizona Supreme Court decided that nearly 98,000 individuals whose U.S. citizenship status remains unconfirmed will be permitted to vote in the upcoming state and local elections. This decision follows a controversy stemming from a “coding oversight” in state software, which had led Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to pledge that ballots would still be sent to the affected voters despite the issue.
The problem originated from a database error that raised doubts about the citizenship status of around 100,000 registered voters in Arizona. The issue specifically impacted individuals who obtained their driver’s licenses before October 1996 and later received duplicate licenses prior to registering to vote after 2004. These voters’ citizenship data were not properly updated in the state’s system, creating confusion.
The ruling exposed a disagreement between Fontes and Stephen Richer, the Republican Maricopa County recorder, regarding the voters’ status post-error. Richer voiced concerns about the legality of sending ballots to unconfirmed citizens, while Fontes argued for their inclusion, emphasizing that there was no evidence of illegal voting attempts.
“This issue surfaced not because someone was voting illegally or attempting to do so, but as a result of routine voter roll maintenance,” Fontes explained during a press conference on Tuesday. “This was basic housekeeping, and it revealed a flaw in the system.
On Tuesday, Stephen Richer, the Republican Maricopa County recorder, filed a special action with the Arizona Supreme Court, seeking clarification on the status of the voters affected by the database error. Richer argued that the individuals in question had not met Arizona’s legal requirement to provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship and should therefore be restricted to casting “federal-only” ballots. He expressed his stance in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “It is my position that these registrants have not satisfied Arizona’s documented proof of citizenship law, and therefore can only vote a ‘FED ONLY’ ballot.”
The situation unfolds against a backdrop of heightened efforts by Arizona Republicans and a conservative watchdog group to implement stricter voting laws. These proposed measures aim to ensure that proof of U.S. citizenship is mandatory for participation in both state and federal elections. The push for tighter regulations is especially significant given Arizona’s status as a crucial swing state, which turned blue in the 2020 presidential election, adding further weight to the ongoing debates over election integrity and access.
