Officials in Maricopa and Pinal counties have made last-minute decisions to rectify the situation and permit 2,900 individuals to take part in the election, even though they did not initially provide valid proof of citizenship. Both counties have acknowledged that these voters were mistakenly invalidated due to an error in the Motor Vehicle Division’s automated system. This system was designed to identify individuals within a larger group of 218,000 driver’s license holders who were lacking the necessary proof of citizenship.
“After careful deliberation, we have decided to reinstate the voters who were previously marked as not registered, but were actually existing registered voters,” stated Taylor Kinnerup, spokesperson for the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, in an interview with the Washington Examiner on Monday. “As a result of this decision, any Maricopa County voter affected by the MVD data oversight has now been restored to their original status, either as a full or fed-only ballot, for the upcoming election.”
Maricopa County, the most populous county in Arizona, is expected to play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the state’s choice between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Pinal counties the third-largest county in the state, had almost 900 voters who were mistakenly flagged. In response, both counties have decided to reverse the requirement, enabling these affected voters to participate in the election without having to provide any additional proof of citizenship.
Maricopa County officials have stated that around 2,000 voters were impacted as they tried to update their voter registration right before the October 7 deadline. These registrations were flagged by the county due to recent modifications in the way voter registration forms were being processed, which were implemented in response to two different court rulings.
Arizona has a unique requirement when it comes to voting. Unlike federal law, which only requires applicants to attest to their citizenship, Arizona law mandates proof of citizenship for voting in state and local elections. This means that residents must provide documentation to verify their citizenship in order to cast their vote. If proof of citizenship is not provided, Arizona residents are placed on a “federal-only” voter list and are restricted from participating in federal elections, including presidential and congressional races.
On August 22, the Supreme Court upheld the state’s law that mandates the rejection of state registration forms that lack proof of citizenship. However, it also affirmed that residents can still participate in voting if they registered using a federal form, even if they haven’t updated their citizenship records yet.
The Arizona Supreme Court made a ruling on September 20th that relieved approximately 218,000 voters with inconsistencies in the MVD database from having to provide proof of citizenship until after the November election.
All early ballots that were previously on hold or voided have been reinstated and will be included in the final count, guaranteeing the participation of these voters in a closely contested state.
In October, the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office provided guidance to county recorders, instructing them to allow voters flagged by the system to vote a full ballot until after November.
County officials have taken action to rectify the situation by restoring the registrations of the affected voters. This proactive step ensures that these individuals will be eligible to participate in the upcoming election on Tuesday.
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No similar errors were reported by other counties, including Pima, Yavapai, and Coconino. A representative for Pinal County was contacted by The Washington Examiner.