Information about 218,000 voters affected by a registration error is being released by the Arizona Secretary of State

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. – The Arizona Secretary of State's Office will do this comply with a court order and release certain voter information for 218,000 people affected by a registration error.

The release came after the Arizona Court of Appeals ordered Fontes to release the information after the conservative group America First Legal filed a lawsuit. The group is led by Stephen Miller, a former adviser to former President Donald Trump.

Fontes' office had initially rejected a public records request about the voter roll filed by America First Legal. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ruled that the court had not received credible evidence that the information would be misused or promote violence or harassment against voters whose citizenship was not verified.

Foreign Minister Adrian Fontes held a press conference Nov. 4 to release the records and explained the impact it has on voters.

During the press conference, Fontes said that county clerks in Arizona will be contacted by the SoS and will then contact the people on the list so they can gather the proper documents to get them to vote legally in the future.

Voters are asked not to go to election offices for the time being as offices are busy during the election.

“If you’re on the list, you can vote,” Fontes said. “You can vote with a full ballot.”

He says you don't have to show any additional ID to vote in this 2024 election – to anyone.

“Every single person on this list has sworn under penalty of perjury that they are a U.S. citizen and eligible to vote. They did exactly the same thing as every other American citizen in the United States of America. But here in Arizona, there is something else that needs to be done: additional documented proof of citizenship, which is not required anywhere else in the country. Now we find ourselves in a quagmire that appears not to have followed the law. For nearly 20 years, we have had a United States Supreme Court decision that confuses and confuses the administrators of these laws immediately before an election every single election,” Fontes said.

Fontes initially said he would publish the list after the election to avoid voter intimidation.

“I’m going to tell you exactly what I think these people are up to. I think they plan to go after voters they disagree with politically. I think they're planning on knocking on their doors and trying to stop them from voting.” “I mean these people, these people are shameless in their legal efforts. They believe their right to investigate and harass voters is more important than their right to actually cast a vote,” Fontes said.

Check if you are on the list

Who will the documents be handed over to?

“This list was given to the plaintiffs in the matter. That was before the courts and they are allowed to pass it on to the counties and state legislatures,” Fontes said.

It's understandable that there are concerns about releasing the records, and Fontes apologized.

“I want to apologize again to some voters out there who are a little disturbed that some of these people have your name and your personal identification information. I tried to prevent that. Now, however, I want to reassure people that “We can verify that your name is on this list,” he said.

You can Click here to see if your information has been published.

A decades-old mistake is leading to electoral difficulties

The Maricopa County Recorder's Office said in September that it had discovered about 218,000 voters since 2004 who were able to register to vote without providing documented proof of citizenship.

“This error has existed since 2004. In every county across the state,” said Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer.

Since 2004, Arizona has required voters to provide documented proof of citizenship. So when a driver with an older driver's license registers to vote, the MVD assumes that they have proof of citizenship in the system and allows them to vote with a full ballot.

At the time the error was announced, Richer said the majority of affected voters were most likely U.S. citizens: they simply had no documented evidence.

The largest group of them are Republicans, followed by independents and Democrats. Most of those affected are between 45 and 60 years old, with over 60% living in Maricopa County.

The Arizona State Supreme Court ruled that Arizona voters affected by a mistake in the registration system will be able to vote on the entire ballot in the upcoming general election.