All 15 counties in Arizona have initiated the process of verifying and removing noncitizens from their voter rolls, following a lawsuit settlement that could affect nearly 50,000 registrants who failed to provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
The lawsuit, filed by America First Legal (AFL) on behalf of EZAZ.org and naturalized citizen Yvonne Cahill, argued that counties were not adhering to state laws requiring proof of citizenship for voting in state and local elections.
As a result of the settlement, all counties are now collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to verify the citizenship status of these registrants.
Arizona law mandates that individuals provide documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) to vote in state and local elections. Those who register without DPOC are designated as “federal-only” voters, eligible to vote only in federal elections. County recorders are required to perform monthly checks to confirm the citizenship status of these voters.
The AFL lawsuit contended that county officials were not utilizing available resources to verify citizenship status, leading to the current statewide effort to address the issue.
This development underscores Arizona’s ongoing efforts to ensure election integrity by maintaining accurate voter rolls and complying with state laws regarding voter eligibility.
For more information on voter registration requirements in Arizona, please refer to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Voter Registration Instructions.