The number of voters in Arizona without proof of citizenship is more than two times than previously disclosed.

Prior reports stated approximately 98,000 voters in the swing state did not have confirmed citizenship documents.

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled those voters can cast ballots in state and local elections.

“Arizona election officials determined that another 120,000 voters across the state were registered as voters despite having never provided proof of citizenship,” the Washington Examiner reports.

The number has increased to approximately 218,000.

From the Washington Examiner:

The announcement from Arizona Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes marks the second time this month officials have found problems with voter registration rolls.

“As with the initial group of Arizonans, certain individuals were mistakenly marked as having provided documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) pursuant to Arizona’s Proposition 200 requiring DPOC to vote in state and local elections,” Fontes’s office said in a press release Monday.

Roughly 218,000 voters have now been affected by an error made by the state’s Motor Vehicles Division database that registered people to vote despite them not having provided legally required valid proof of citizenship.

The initial group of roughly 100,000 people was announced on Sept. 17 to have erroneously been registered to vote even though they had not submitted required proof of citizenship documents.

WATCH:

Per NTD:

Officials plan on contacting the voters after the upcoming election “if necessary,” but the voters, including the newfound set, remain eligible to cast ballots despite lacking the statutorily required proof of citizenship, Fontes said.

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled in September that the voters without confirmed proof of citizenship could vote in November, siding with Fontes against Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican. Justices said voters aren’t behind the coding error and attested under penalty of prosecution that they’re U.S. citizens.

Arizona in 2004 mandated voters provide proof of citizenship but the requirement was narrowed to state and local races under a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. That means voters can vote on federal races without providing proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate.

“The reality is these registrants have met the same legal standard as every other American who registers to vote: swearing under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens,” Fontes, who was elected in 2022, said in a statement. “We can’t risk denying actual citizens the right to vote due to an error out of their control. This issue is another example of why we need to fund elections, update systems and staff, and carry forward our proven tradition of safe, fair and secure elections.”

Fontes did not rule out discovering even more voters who have not provided proof of citizenship. If additional voters are found, or if similar errors are identified, his office said it would keep the public informed “if and when we have accurate, confirmed information to share.”

 

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