All 15 of Arizona’s counties agreed to settle a lawsuit brought last September by America First Legal (AFL) and election attorney Jennifer Wright against their recorders over failing to remove noncitizens from voter rolls. Maricopa County agreed to the settlement earlier this month, Yavapai and Mohave counties settled in November, and the remaining counties settled last Wednesday, sending requests to the Department of Homeland Security to assist them in verifying voters’ citizenship. In January, there were 50,000 federal-only voters on the state’s voter rolls, which are voters who are only allowed to vote in federal races due to failing to produce documented proof of citizenship (DPOC).
“This settlement is a great result for all Arizonans,” AFL Senior Counsel James Rogers said in a statement on Monday. “This will help County Recorders find and remove any aliens on their voter rolls. It will also potentially enfranchise federal-only voters whose citizenship is confirmed, which would allow them to vote in State and local elections. AFL congratulates each of Arizona’s 15 County Recorders for taking this bold and important step for election integrity in the State.”
Kari Lake posted on X, “It’s a pyrrhic victory knowing Arizona had to be sued into submission before agreeing to follow the law, & take upwards of 50K illegal voters off its rolls. I’m happy to see our elections getting fixed, but I want people held responsible for breaking them.”
AFL initially sent letters to the counties last July asking them to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls and threatened a lawsuit if they did not. The group, which represented Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona, which is run by grassroots activist Merissa Hamilton, pointed out that two federal laws, 8 U.S.C. § 1373(c) and 8 U.S.C. § 1644, authorize state and local officials to obtain information on citizenship or immigration status from the federal government.
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