The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that nearly 98,000 voter registrations in the state remain with unconfirmed citizenship status, raising concerns ahead of a pivotal election.
The ruling came after a “coding oversight” in state software prompted Arizona’s Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to insist that he would send out ballots to those affected, Fox News reported.
“This was discovered not because somebody was voting illegally and not because somebody was attempting to vote illegally, as far as we can tell,” Fontes said. “And this was basic voter roll maintenance, and it showed us that there is this issue.”
Republican Maricopa County recorder Stephen Richer later filed a special action, asking the state Supreme Court to settle the question.
“It is my position that these registrants have not satisfied Arizona’s documented proof of citizenship law, and therefore can only vote a ‘FED ONLY’ ballot,” Richer said on X.
The court decided that further verification would be necessary to ensure compliance with citizenship requirements.
This decision could have significant implications, as unconfirmed voters may face challenges in casting ballots if their citizenship status isn’t resolved.
