Local election officials in Arizona confirmed the nearly 2,900 voters who were previously flagged as needing proof of citizenship to vote in Tuesday’s election will ultimately be able to cast their ballots.
The last-minute decisions by officials in Maricopa and Pinal counties will allow 2,900 people to participate in the election despite not having provided valid proof of citizenship. Both counties said the affected voters were invalidated in error, blaming the Motor Vehicle Division’s automated system that was programmed to flag people who were part of a larger group of 218,000 driver’s license holders who lacked proof of citizenship.
“After further consideration, the decision was made to fully restore those voters from the not registered status, only if they were previously an existing, registered voter,” Maricopa County Recorder’s Office spokeswoman Taylor Kinnerup told the Washington Examiner on Monday. “This means any Maricopa County voter impacted by the previously discovered MVD data oversight has since been restored back to their original status of either full or fed-only ballot for this upcoming election.”
Maricopa County is Arizona’s most populous county and will likely be decisive in determining whether the state chooses former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.
The state’s third-largest county, Pinal County, had nearly 900 voters flagged incorrectly. Both counties have reversed the requirement, allowing affected voters to participate in the election without providing additional proof of citizenship.
Maricopa County officials said the roughly 2,000 affected voters had attempted to update their voter registration just before an Oct. 7 deadline. The county flagged these registrations because of recent changes in how it processed voter registration forms in response to two separate court decisions.
Arizona’s laws are unique in that proof of citizenship is only required to vote in state and local elections. Federal law only requires applicants to attest to their citizenship in order to vote. Without providing proof of citizenship, Arizona residents are placed on a “federal-only” voter list and are restricted from voting in federal elections, such as presidential and congressional races.
A Supreme Court ruling on Aug. 22 affirmed the state’s law that requires rejecting state registration forms without proof of citizenship while upholding the ability for residents who’ve yet to update their citizenship records to participate in voting if they registered using a federal form.
Additionally, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Sept. 20 that around 218,000 voters with discrepancies in the MVD database wouldn’t need to provide citizenship proof until after the November election.
Any early ballots previously placed on hold or voided have been restored and will be counted, ensuring these voters’ participation in a closely contested state.
The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office sent guidance in October to county recorders informing them that even though the system was flagging these voters, they should still continue to allow the voters to vote a full ballot until after November.
Following reassessment, county officials restored the affected voters’ registrations, ensuring their eligibility for Tuesday’s election.
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Other counties, including Pima, Yavapai, and Coconino, reported no similar errors.
The Washington Examiner contacted a representative for Pinal County.