98,000 Arizonans whose citizenship had not been confirmed can vote full ballot
SUMMARY
The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that 98,000 individuals whose citizenship status has not been confirmed can still vote in state and local races. The issue arose from a mistake in the state’s voter rolls, allowing voters with pre-1996 driver’s licenses, which don’t serve as proof of citizenship, to cast full ballots. Arizona’s Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer disagreed on how to address this, prompting Richer to bring the case to the court. The court ultimately sided with Fontes, stating that disenfranchising these voters would violate their rights, given they believed they could legally vote. Chief Justice Ann Scott Timmer emphasized that the voters weren’t at fault for the error, and with the November election approaching, the court refused to block their participation. Arizona is a critical swing state in the 2024 presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
