Arizona officials announced this week that about 100,000 registered voters may not be able to vote in November's state and local elections because they may not have provided proof of U.S. citizenship as required by state law.
Apparent “flaws” in Arizona's voter registration process were discovered last week, Maricopa County Recorder Steven Richer said. Long X Post on Tuesday, despite having been in existence for decades.
“Probably, almost all of them [are] “I am a U.S. citizen, but have not provided any proof of citizenship.”
The issue involves a complex interrelationship of state and federal laws and regulations governing Arizona driver's licenses.
Arizona has a unique system that allows prospective voters in federal elections to register using a federal form that doesn't require proof of citizenship, but those who vote in state and local elections must provide proof.
Since 1996, anyone wanting to obtain a standard Arizona driver's license has had to: Present proof of U.S. citizenshipGreen card holders will be given a substitute license.
Therefore, anyone who has registered to vote using an Arizona driver's license since 1996, and who was required to provide the necessary documentation when applying for a driver's license, is considered a U.S. citizen and is eligible to vote in all federal, state, and local elections.
However, starting in 2004, the Motor Vehicle Division changed the rules so that anyone applying to renew or replace their license would have an updated issue date stamped on it.
The system allowed a cohort of registered voters to, in Richer's words, “fall through the cracks” when it came to verifying their citizenship. This group, about 97,000 people statewide, obtained driver's licenses before 1996 but received reissued licenses after 2004 and used their renewed licenses to register to vote.
“All of these people have proven that they are U.S. citizens under penalty of law,” Richter explained. “And they're probably almost all of them.” [are] “I am a U.S. citizen, but have not provided any proof of citizenship.”
Affected voters are likely to be between the ages of 45 and 60 and lean Republican, according to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
With the November election approaching and military ballots being distributed later this week, Richer, a Republican, said:Friendly“We have filed suit against Fontes, a Democrat, in the hope that the state Supreme Court will soon make a clear decision on this issue.”
“My position is that these registrants do not meet the requirements of Arizona’s proof of citizenship law and therefore can only vote on a federal-only ballot. [in 2024]” said Richer.
Fontes believes the issue cannot be fairly resolved in such a short time and that the result will be that many legal U.S. citizens will not be able to participate in state and local elections. “We don't want to see this happen. We're advocating for the status quo,” he said.
The news comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by America First Legal, a group with strong ties to former President Donald Trump, against all 15 of Arizona's counties. As previously reported by The Blaze News, the lawsuit, filed on September 4, accuses the counties and their respective recorders of ignoring state law by failing to remove foreign nationals from the voter rolls.
“We are taking emergency steps to ensure the security of our elections,” Stephen Miller, a former adviser to President Trump and current AFL president, previously told The Blaze News in a statement. “America First Legal is committed to fighting mass illegal alien voting and foreign interference in our democracy.”
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