Arizona’s top elections official urged swift resolution of a newly discovered error in the state’s voter registration process, just as early ballots are set to be mailed out to some voters this week.
The issue, identified by the Maricopa County recorder’s office, concerns voters with old driver’s licenses who may not have provided proof of citizenship, yet were mistakenly coded as having done so. Arizona operates a bifurcated system where voters without documentary proof of citizenship can vote in federal elections, but not in state or local contests.
With around 100,000 voters affected, the error is expected to draw significant scrutiny and litigation, particularly given Arizona’s history of close elections. The state has more than 4.1 million registered voters.
Governor Katie Hobbs ordered the motor vehicles division to correct the coding error, which Secretary of State Adrian Fontes confirmed has been fixed for future registrations. It remains unclear if any affected voters cast ballots unlawfully or if they have since provided proof of citizenship.
“We have no reason to believe that there are any significant numbers of individuals remaining on this list who are not eligible to vote in Arizona.” Fontes stated at a press conference, adding that no conclusive information is available yet.
The error stems from quirks in Arizona's governance. Since 1996, residents have been required to provide proof of citizenship to obtain a regular driver’s license, and since 2004, to vote in state and local elections. Compounding the problem, Arizona driver’s licenses don’t expire until the holder turns 65, allowing some to keep the same license for decades without renewal.
The issue has led to a split between Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican, and Fontes, a Democrat. Richer believes that the affected voters should be limited to casting federal-only ballots, while Fontes argues for allowing full ballots given the proximity of the upcoming election. Fontes directed counties to allow these voters to cast full ballots this year.
Richer announced on social media that his office is suing Fontes over the disagreement, stating that the courts will offer a “clear answer.” His office identified the error after discovering a non-citizen erroneously registered to vote, although that individual had never cast a ballot. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, claims the error has been ongoing since 2005.
The affected group, roughly 98,000 voters, includes a plurality of Republicans aged 45 to 60 who received their driver’s licenses before 1996. Fontes assured these voters they would be contacted by election officials but emphasized that officials are waiting for the court’s guidance before taking action.
The error primarily involves voters who obtained their licenses before October 1996 and later replaced them without submitting proof of citizenship, as required under state law since 2004. Elections officials previously assumed that anyone with a license issued after 1996 had provided the necessary documentation. However, when licenses were updated or replaced, the issuance date was mistakenly reset, causing confusion about citizenship verification.
