Fontes releases a list of 218,000 Arizona voters who do not have proof of citizenship

PHOENIX (AZFamily) – Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has confirmed that his office has complied with a court order to release the names of approximately 218,000 voters who were affected by an MVD registration error that allowed them to remain on the voter roll even though they had no citizenship documents on file.

“We have complied with and will comply with a court order to release specific voter information for 218,000 individuals as part of our ongoing litigation. “This list has been given to the plaintiffs in the matter that has been heard in court, and they are permitted to share it with the counties and state legislatures,” Fontes said during a news conference Monday afternoon.

The news came less than an hour after election officials in Maricopa County completed a briefing on their final preparations.

Fontes expressed frustration with the result. He and his team worked tirelessly to prevent the information from being shared with people he didn't trust.

“And I have good reasons not to trust them with this specific information,” the foreign minister said. “I want to apologize again to some voters out there who feel a little uncomfortable because some of these people have your name and your personal identification information. I tried to stop it.”

Voters can see if their name is on the list by visiting the state's voter information portal, officials confirmed.

Arizona's Family reported last week that Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ordered the release of voters' names at the request of the conservative-leaning group Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona.

“Despite the political undertones, this is simply a public records case,” Blaney said in the decision. The request was made the same day reports of registration errors began circulating, quickly confirmed by county and state officials and making headlines across the country.

Fontes had until noon Monday to turn over the voter names to the group that runs EZAZ.org.

The website cannot distribute the information until after Tuesday's general election, and at that time can only distribute it to certain local political leaders and Arizona County recorders.

In September, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that all of those voters could cast their full ballot in state and local elections on Tuesday.

“You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. By law, in Arizona, in 2024, you have the full right to vote, and no one has the right to harass you in your home, demand identification from you, or otherwise,” Fontes emphasized. “If anyone does this, please contact our office or your local law enforcement agency. Harassment and intimidation is a breach of the law and if sufficient evidence is provided we will present it to the relevant authorities for prosecution.”

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