A shocking revelation has come to light in Arizona’s voter registration system, where an error in the state’s Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) database has led to approximately 97,000 voter registrations being approved without verifying citizenship. This issue, which has been ongoing for 20 years, was only recently discovered, raising serious concerns about election integrity just weeks before critical ballots are set to be mailed out.
The discovery comes at a pivotal moment, as military and overseas ballots are scheduled to be sent out this Thursday, with early ballots being mailed across Arizona starting October 9. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who exposed the error, has now filed a lawsuit against the Arizona Secretary of State’s office. Richer explained that his office uncovered a significant loophole in the state’s voter registration system, which, according to him, has allowed individuals who received a driver’s license prior to 1996 to register to vote without providing proof of citizenship.
Richer pointed to the fact that the issue has persisted since 2004, the year Arizona began requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote in state elections. Prior to 1996, Arizona did not require proof of citizenship to issue a driver’s license, meaning that licenses granted before then were not backed by any citizenship documentation. Yet, these licenses were still recorded as valid proof of citizenship in the voter registration system, which led to unverified voters being added to the rolls.
“If a driver received a license prior to 1996, he did not have documented proof of citizenship on file,” Richer explained. “But then, if he got a duplicate license (e.g. in the case of losing a license), the issuance date would be updated in the statewide voter registration’s interface with MVD.” Essentially, the system treated the issuance of a new license as confirmation of citizenship, even though no proof had been provided. This error created a massive loophole that went undetected for two decades, allowing tens of thousands of individuals to register to vote without the necessary documentation.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, in response to the controversy, issued a statement downplaying the severity of the situation and outlining the steps her administration is taking to address it. “After Recorder Richer brought an erroneous voter registration record to my attention, my team identified and fixed an administrative error that originated in 2004, and affects longtime residents who received a driver’s license before 1996,” Hobbs said. “As soon as I became aware of the problem, I directed MVD to work with the Secretary of State’s office to aggressively develop and implement a solution and, out of an abundance of caution, will be implementing an independent audit to ensure that MVD systems are functioning as necessary to support voter registration. I’m proud of MVD for their hard work implementing a fix to this problem in record time.”
However, despite the governor’s assurances, concerns continue to grow over the scale of the issue and its potential impact on upcoming elections. After further investigation, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes revealed that his office had found nearly 98,000 registrants whose citizenship status had not been verified. According to the Arizona Capitol Times, Fontes acknowledged the massive oversight but has not provided detailed information about how the affected voter registrations will be handled moving forward.
This revelation is particularly significant in light of recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court. Just this year, the Court upheld a voter registration law requiring proof of citizenship on state registration forms to vote in local elections, ensuring that non-citizens would not be able to participate in state and local races. However, the Court’s ruling left open a loophole in federal elections, as voters using the federal registration form—which does not require proof of citizenship—are still eligible to vote in federal races. This discrepancy has been a point of contention for Republicans, who argue that the system remains vulnerable to potential voter fraud.
In fact, this issue could have been addressed by the Secure and Verifiable Elections (SAVE) Act, a piece of legislation that sought to close the loophole by requiring proof of citizenship for all types of elections. Unfortunately, Democrats in the U.S. Senate blocked the bill, leaving the door open for these registration discrepancies to persist.
Richer’s lawsuit directly challenges Secretary of State Fontes’ decision to allow these unverified voters to participate in all elections, not just federal ones. Richer argues that Arizona law clearly requires proof of citizenship for participation in state and local elections, and those who fail to provide such proof should only be permitted to vote on a “Federal Only” ballot. Richer and his supporters believe that Fontes’ interpretation of the law undermines the integrity of Arizona’s elections, especially as the state heads into the 2024 election cycle.
As election season heats up, this controversy over citizenship verification in Arizona’s voter registration system is likely to be a major focal point. With nearly 98,000 unverified voters now in question, there are growing calls for a thorough investigation and more stringent safeguards to protect the integrity of the state’s elections. Republicans, in particular, are demanding accountability from both state officials and the MVD for allowing such a critical flaw to remain in place for so long without being corrected.
This troubling situation is another stark reminder of the importance of secure and transparent elections. Voters across Arizona are now left to wonder how many other errors might still be lurking in the state’s voter rolls, and what steps will be taken to prevent future mistakes that could undermine the democratic process.