Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announced that the number of voters in the state who have full access to the ballot without confirmation of citizenship has more than doubled to 218,000. This represents 5.3% of all registered voters in Arizona. While this error won’t impact eligibility to vote for president or Congress, it could potentially sway local, state, and hotly contested ballot measures on issues like abortion and immigration. Arizona is unique in that it requires residents to prove citizenship to vote in all races, a requirement dating back to 2004. Despite this, a system error allowed a significant number of voters to access state and local races without confirming their citizenship.
The number of misclassified voters in Arizona jumped from about 98,000 to approximately 218,000. It is unclear how officials missed this additional bloc of voters, especially after believing that an error between the state’s voter registration database and the Motor Vehicle Division had been resolved two weeks earlier. The Arizona Department of Transportation, which oversees the MVD, implemented a coding update in its system to address the issue, but it was not effective. Arizona GOP Chairwoman Gina Swoboda criticized Fontes for the error, stating that it has caused voters to lose confidence in him. The Republican Party, which initially supported Fontes, is now considering additional actions in response to the situation.
In Arizona, a relatively small number of votes could have a significant impact on competitive races for the Legislature, where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in both chambers. This year, voters in Arizona will also be deciding on important ballot measures related to abortion rights and immigration. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the original batch of misclassified voters can cast a full ballot in the upcoming election, as they had registered long ago and attested under penalty of perjury that they are citizens. Fontes suggested that the same ruling should apply to the new batch of misclassified voters, who are distributed among Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters.
The misclassification of voters in Arizona has raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and the ability of voters to participate in key decision-making. Fontes and his office have been working to address the error and ensure that all voters have access to the correct ballot. Although the situation has caused controversy and criticism from some parties, it is essential to rectify the mistake to uphold the principles of democracy and ensure that all eligible voters can exercise their right to vote in the upcoming election. Fontes and state officials are committed to resolving the issue and providing clarity for voters as they prepare to participate in the democratic process.
