{"id":2348182,"date":"2024-10-01T17:04:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T21:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-finds-120k-additional-voters-lacking-proof-of-citizenship\/"},"modified":"2024-10-01T17:05:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T21:05:46","slug":"arizona-finds-120k-additional-voters-lacking-proof-of-citizenship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-finds-120k-additional-voters-lacking-proof-of-citizenship\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Finds 120K Additional Voters Lacking Proof Of Citizenship"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Farizona-finds-120k-additional-voters-lacking-proof-of-citizenship%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2348182&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Arizona&#8217;s Democratic Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes, announced that the state has identified an additional 120,000 registered voters who lack documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC),\u2062 increasing the total to approximately 218,000. This issue \u200cstemmed from a data coding error involving voter registration and motor vehicle records. Many of \u2062the affected individuals, \u200bwho have declared themselves U.S. citizens under penalty of perjury, include registered Republicans, Democrats, and members of other parties.<\/p>\n<p>The problem was first highlighted \u200cwhen officials\u2064 revealed that nearly 97,000 voters were wrongly categorized as full-ballot voters despite not \u200chaving provided required citizenship documentation. In Arizona, \u2062voters \u200cmust show DPOC to\u200d participate in state and\u200b local elections;\u2064 those without it can only vote in federal contests.<\/p>\n<p>Fontes stated that the \u200dstate Supreme Court ruled that the\u2063 newly\u2064 discovered voters may\u200b still cast full ballots in the upcoming \u2063November elections, as they should not be \u200cpenalized for governmental errors.\u2064 Consequently, election \u2063officials plan\u200d to inform affected voters about their status post-election, while \u2063further investigations into the issue are ongoing.\u2062 The ruling emphasized that disenfranchising voters due to administrative mistakes\u2064 would violate due process.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Arizona&rsquo;s Democrat elections chief announced on Monday that the state has found 120,000 additional registered voters lacking documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC), bringing the estimated total of such voters to 218,000.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Today, the Arizona Secretary of State&rsquo;s Office released additional information about a new set of approximately 120,000 Arizonans who may be affected by a data coding oversight within [Arizona Department of Transporation&rsquo;s] Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) and Arizona voter registration databases &mdash; individuals who have lived in the state for decades and have attested under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens,&rdquo; the office of Democrat Secretary of State Adrian Fontes revealed in a <a href=\"https:\/\/azsos.gov\/news\/849\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p>As my colleague Brianna Lyman previously&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/18\/arizona-finds-100000-voters-lacking-citizenship-proof-on-wrong-list-after-catching-noncitizen-on-voter-rolls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the issue originally came to light last month when state officials revealed they &ldquo;found approximately&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/stephen_richer\/status\/1836080041631121913\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">97,000 voters<\/a>&nbsp;who are currently listed as full-ballot voters despite having not fulfilled the requirement to provide documentary proof of citizenship to vote in statewide elections.&rdquo; The error appears to have resulted &ldquo;from the way the Motor Vehicle Division provides driver&rsquo;s license information to the state&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-says-he-supports-ending-filibuster-cites-abusive-use-by-democrats-during-trump-term\/\" title=\"Biden Says He Supports Ending Filibuster, Cites \u2018Abusive\u2019 Use By Democrats During Trump Term\">voter registration system<\/a>,&rdquo; according to left-wing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.votebeat.org\/arizona\/2024\/09\/17\/citizenship-proof-records-error-federal-only-voter-registration-eligibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Votebeat Arizona<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Fontes said most of the affected voters are registered Republicans, according to the outlet. <\/p>\n<p>In Arizona, <a href=\"https:\/\/azsos.gov\/elections\/about-elections\/elections-procedures\/vr-procedures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voters<\/a>&nbsp;registering via state registration form must show documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) to vote in state and local races. Individuals who are unable to provide such documentation are registered as &ldquo;federal-only&rdquo; voters and can only cast ballots in federal races.<\/p>\n<p>Monday&rsquo;s announcement revealed that of the newly discovered 120,000 registered voters lacking DPOC, approximately 79,000 are Republicans, 61,000 are Democrats, and 76,000 are Other Party. Collaboration between Fontes&rsquo; office and Arizona&rsquo;s MVD &ldquo;to investigate if additional voters are impacted, or if other similar errors stemming from&rdquo; the error remain ongoing, according to the press release. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Election officials will contact the affected Arizonans with information regarding their status after the conclusion of this General Election if necessary,&rdquo; the presser reads. Fontes&rsquo; office argued that the newly unearthed 120,000 affected voters are authorized to vote full-ballot this November due to a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/23\/az-supreme-court-affirms-100k-voters-full-ballot-status-after-registration-error\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decision<\/a> issued by the Arizona Supreme Court last week.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the initial discovery of nearly 100,000 voters lacking DPOC, Maricopa County Recorder <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/stephen-richer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stephen Richer<\/a> filed a lawsuit arguing these voters should be designated as &ldquo;federal-only&rdquo; voters until they provide DPOC. Fontes and the Arizona GOP <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/23\/az-supreme-court-affirms-100k-voters-full-ballot-status-after-registration-error\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">argued<\/a> the opposite &mdash; that these voters should be granted full-ballot status for the general election since they are not at fault for the government&rsquo;s error.<\/p>\n<p>Arizona&rsquo;s high court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azcourts.gov\/Portals\/201\/ASC-CV240221%20-%209-20-2024%20-%20FILED%20-%20DECISION%20ORDER.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sided<\/a> with Fontes and the Arizona GOP, ruling that Richer failed to establish that &ldquo;the county recorders have statutory authority to remove the Affected Voters from being able to vote in the upcoming 2024 General Election for federal offices and with respect to matters on an Arizona ballot.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[W]e are unwilling on these facts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/98000-arizonans-whose-citizenship-had-not-been-confirmed-can-vote-full-ballot-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"98,000 Arizonans whose citizenship had not been confirmed can vote full ballot - Washington Examiner\">disenfranchise voters en masse<\/a> from participating in state contests,&rdquo; Chief Justice Ann Scott Timmer&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azcourts.gov\/Portals\/201\/ASC-CV240221%20-%209-20-2024%20-%20FILED%20-%20DECISION%20ORDER.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a>. &ldquo;Doing so is not authorized by state law and would violate principles of due process.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/30\/leaked-call-az-democrat-officials-feared-voter-list-error-would-validate-gop-concerns-about-illegal-voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leaked Call: AZ Democrat Officials Feared Voter List Error Would &lsquo;Validate&rsquo; GOP Concerns About &lsquo;Illegal Voting&rsquo;<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Responding to Monday&rsquo;s developments, Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AZGOP\/status\/1840913012384833986\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claimed<\/a> in a statement that the &ldquo;public, impacted stakeholders, and the Arizona Supreme Court were misled as to the extent of the issue and its effect on Arizona&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-ny-times-columnist-ruled-ineligible-to-run-for-oregon-governor\/\" title=\"Former NY Times Columnist Ruled Ineligible To Run For Oregon Governor\">voter registration records<\/a>.&rdquo; She also argued Fontes &ldquo;has repeatedly demonstrated a complete inability to execute the core functions of his position.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Secretary Fontes&rsquo; desire for a top-down system continues to shut out our county recorders who are the ONLY officials empowered by Arizona statute to process voter registration record changes,&rdquo; Swoboda said. &ldquo;This is a sad day for transparency.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The AZ GOP chair further called on Fontes to instantly &ldquo;make public&rdquo; the data query &ldquo;used to determine the voter records impacted by this error&rdquo; and authorize his office to &ldquo;deliver the list of impacted voters to all 15 county recorders.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>The office of Secretary Adrian Fontes did not respond to The Federalist&rsquo;s request for comment. <\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electionbriefing.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arizona&#8217;s elections chief revealed 120,000 more voters lack proof of citizenship<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2348184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Vote_Here_sign_outside_Deerwood_City_Hall_on_Election_day_in_Crow_Wing_County_Minnesota_53317613085.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4472,40680,5894,37752,6431],"class_list":["post-2348182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-arizona","tag-election-issues","tag-politics","tag-proof-of-citizenship","tag-voter-registration"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Vote_Here_sign_outside_Deerwood_City_Hall_on_Election_day_in_Crow_Wing_County_Minnesota_53317613085.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2348182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2348182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2348182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2348184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2348182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2348182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2348182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}