All 15 counties in Arizona have started the process of identifying and removing non-citizens from their voter registration lists, potentially affecting up to 50,000 individuals who failed to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, Fox News reports. This action follows a successful legal challenge led by America First Legal (AFL).
AFL, representing EZAZ.org and Yvonne Cahill, filed a lawsuit against the 15 counties, alleging non-compliance with state laws requiring proof of citizenship for voting in local and state elections. The lawsuit also claimed that the counties were not conducting regular monthly audits of voter rolls to identify non-citizens, as mandated by Arizona law.
As a result of the lawsuit, the 15 counties are now working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to verify the citizenship status of registered voters who did not initially provide proof of citizenship.
James Rogers, senior counsel at AFL, told Fox News Digital, “This settlement is a great result for all Arizonans,” according to the outlet.
While a 2013 Supreme Court ruling prevents states from imposing voter registration requirements that go beyond the federal requirement (which only requires checking a box affirming U.S. citizenship), Arizona law still requires residents to provide proof of citizenship to vote in state and local elections.
Arizona law mandates that county recorders conduct monthly maintenance checks to verify the citizenship of “federal-only” voters—approximately 50,000 individuals who did not provide proof of citizenship and are restricted from voting in state or local elections. Those confirmed as citizens will be moved to the regular voter list, while non-citizens will have their registrations canceled.
AFL argued that county recorders were not fully utilizing available resources to verify citizenship status, as required by Arizona law. In response, all 15 counties have now requested assistance from DHS to help remove non-citizens from the voter rolls.
Rogers stated that this will aid county recorders in identifying and removing non-citizens from voter lists and potentially allow verified “federal-only” voters to participate in state and local elections. He praised the recorders for taking this critical step to ensure election integrity in the state.
Rogers said in a statement, “This will help County Recorders find and remove any aliens on their voter rolls. It will also potentially enfranchise federal-only voters whose citizenship is confirmed, which would allow them to vote in state and local elections,” adding that, “AFL congratulates each of Arizona’s 15 county recorders for taking this bold and important step for election integrity in the state.”