America First Legal (AFL) has filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, accusing him of failing to remove non-citizens from the county's voter rolls. The lawsuit, filed on Monday, is on behalf of the Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona, a registered voter, and a naturalized citizen.
AFL claims that Richer has not verified the citizenship of voters as required by state and federal law. This action follows a July 16 letter from AFL to all 15 Arizona counties, demanding compliance with legal requirements to prevent non-citizens from voting. The letter warned of legal action if these demands were not met by the following week.
Richer's attorney contends that he is adhering to the law, asserting that voter citizenship is being verified. However, AFL argues that Richer’s assertion is untrue, citing an increase in registered voters without confirmed citizenship and a lack of database verification.
The lawsuit alleges that Richer has violated state law by not conducting the required monthly list maintenance to verify the citizenship of voters lacking proof of citizenship. In Arizona, such voters are only permitted to vote in federal elections. According to AFL, the number of registered voters without proof of citizenship increased from 21,595 in April to 26,108 in July.
“Maricopa County, in direct violation of state law, is refusing to remove illegal alien voters from the rolls,” AFL President Stephen Miller stated. “We are taking decisive action: suing Maricopa County for unlawfully permitting illegal aliens and foreign citizens to interfere in the 2024 election.”
Richer, a Republican who began his term in 2021, lost his primary election for county recorder on July 30 to state Rep. Justin Heap, who campaigned on addressing issues with Maricopa County's elections.
Read the lawsuit here.
