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(The Epoch Times)—The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Friday that nearly 98,000 people whose proof of citizenship documents had not been confirmed can vote in state and local races.
The court’s decision comes after officials discovered that a database error allowed people who had not provided proof of citizenship, per a 2004 ballot initiative, to vote the full ballot for nearly 20 years.
Neither the county recorder nor the state’s top election official suspected the affected voters were not U.S. citizens. However, they disagreed on what status the voters should hold.
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican, filed an emergency petition on Sept. 17 asking the state Supreme Court to weigh in.
Richer challenged guidance from Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, regarding voters who may not have provided documentary proof of citizenship during registration.
The state Supreme Court found in favor of Fontes, saying that Richer did not demonstrate that county recorders have statutory authority to remove the affected voters from being able to cast ballots in the 2024 election for federal offices and matters on a state ballot.
Arizona residents have been required to provide documentary proof of citizenship to vote in elections since voters approved Proposition 200 in 2004. This rule, unique to Arizona, came into effect in 2005.
Voters are required to provide a driver’s license or tribal ID number or attach a copy of a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization documents in order to cast ballots in local and state races. Driver’s licenses issued after Oct. 1, 1996, are valid.
However, state officials said that an error between the state’s voter registration database and the Motor Vehicle Division meant that some 97,928 voters who held licenses from before Oct. 1, 1996, were marked as full-ballot voters.
At around 2.5 percent of all registered voters, this could tip the scales in hotly contested state legislature races, where Republicans hold a slim majority over Democrats. It could also impact ballot initiatives.
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State election officials said nearly 98,000 voters’ Arizona driver’s licenses were incorrectly recorded with an issue date after the cutoff on Oct. 1, 1996. This happened because those voters received a duplicate or updated license that listed its issue date as the duplicate or updated date rather than the original date of issue.
Richer argued that the affected voters should be restricted to federal-only ballots until they provide documented proof of citizenship, in accordance with Proposition 200. Fontes, however, directed county recorders to take no action, stating the voters should be permitted to vote in all elections. Richer argued Fontes ignored state law by doing so.
Under Arizona law, once a voter’s application is accepted, it cannot be revoked unless the recorder has evidence that the individual is not a U.S. citizen, the justices said.
The justices said county officials lack the authority to change the voters’ status because they registered long ago and attested under penalty of law to be U.S. citizens. Furthermore, the voters aren’t at fault for the database error, according to the ruling.
The court also noted the close proximity to the November election and cautioned against changing election procedures shortly before voting begins, saying the time for county officials to reject the voters’ registrations has passed.
“We are unwilling on these facts to disenfranchise voters en masse from participating in state contests,” Chief Justice Ann Scott Timmer said in the ruling.
The ruling was welcomed by both Richer and Fontes.
Richer took to social media to thank the court for quickly reviewing the case and Fontes for partnering with him to address the error.
“The 100k registrants will continue to vote a full ballot this election. Thank God,” Richer wrote on X. “Thank you Arizona Supreme Court for your extremely quick and professional review of this matter. Thank you [Fontes] for your partnership on this.”
Fontes thanked Richer and welcomed the win.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rep. Matt Gaetz: There Are Five Known Trump Assassination Teams in America
by The Gateway Pundit
President Trump’s life may be in greater danger than anyone, including himself, realizes according to a Florida congressman. As The Gateway Pundit reported, a second attempt was made on Trump’s life on Sunday, just two months after he came within a centimeter of being killed in Butler, Pennsylvania by a…
Is There a Mole Within the Secret Service?
by Townhall
There have been two attempted assassinations of former President Donald Trump, and both times, the suspects have known information only insiders would know about security. How could that be? Since Sunday’s attempted assassination of Trump, making it the second one in two months, several questions have still gone unanswered, such…
Diddy Reportedly Paid Off Home Mortgage Before Being Arrested
by The Dupree Report
New revelations emerged regarding Sean “Diddy” Combs’ opulent Miami estate during his recent bond hearing. In a dramatic turn of events in March, federal agents descended on the hip-hop titan’s luxurious abode on Star Island, uncovering what they allege were preparations for illicit gatherings known as “Freak Offs.” These events…
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Mike DeWine’s History Raises Concerns About Potential Conflict of Interest With Haitian Migrants
by Daily Caller
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has faced a series of conflicts of interests on key issues in his state, including with the ongoing Haitian migrant crisis affecting Springfield. DeWine recently pledged support to Springfield to assist with the influx in Haitian migrants, according to Spectrum News. Over a period of…
The Coincidences Continue: New Details About Would-be Assassin Ryan Routh’s Wife
by American Greatness
As details continue to emerge about the man accused of attempting to shoot former president Donald Trump, one of the more curious developments involves Ryan Routh’s wife Kathleen Shaffer and her work. During questioning yesterday by Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Homeland Security Investigations Executive Associate Director Chief Katrina W. Berger…
We Can Stop the Democrats From Rigging & Stealing This Election. Now. Today. Here’s How.
by Wayne Allyn Root
I have the solution to what’s coming on November 5th. But President Trump needs to act fast. He must make this high-profile, controversial, headline-grabbing, announcement TODAY! Trump is winning an electoral landslide. We all know that. In every credible and historically accurate poll, Trump is leading in the popular vote…
Congressional Probe Into Democrat Fundraising Platform, ActBlue, Finds Potential “Criminal Activity”
by Darlene McCormick Sanchez, The Epoch Times
(The Epoch Times)—A congressional investigation analyzing more than 200 million political contributions found potential “criminal activity” and referred the information to five state attorneys general for further review. The review involved donation reports from ActBlue, an online Democratic fundraising platform, to the Federal Election Commission, according to Rep. Bryan Steil…
Man Screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’ Stabs One to Death, Gravely Injures Another in the Netherlands
by Human Events
Witnesses said that the suspect began attacking people at random while shouting the Arab phrase meaning “God is great,” commonly used by Muslims. One person is dead and another is gravely wounded after a man screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’ and carrying two knives went on a stabbing spree late Thursday in…
Jeremiah 18:8, “If that Nation Against Which I Have Spoken Turns from Its Evil, I will Relent of the Disaster that I Planned to Bring on It”
by The Gateway Pundit
As the US Congress is debating the Continuing Resolution (CR) that authorizes the national budget, most are concerned about the government shut-down that will occur if the CR is not passed. “Woe!” is being sounded by various Congressional members announcing the calamitous ruin that will fall upon our nation if…
One GOP Lawmaker Says It Doesn’t Feel ‘Safe’ to Work in Politics
by Townhall
Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said in an interview this week that it does not feel safe to work in politics and that she’s been the target of threats. Luna made the remarks in an interview with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation. “The rhetoric that continues to be pushed…when you…
Bill Gates Launches New Netflix Series That Lays Out Mass Suicide Plan for Global Human Depopulation
by Ethan Huff, Natural News
(Natural News)—Scheduled for a Netflix launch on September 18 is a new docu-series from billionaire eugenicist Bill Gates that pushes the notion that “we have to give up hydrocarbons almost entirely,” among other anti-human ideas. Because the climate is currently not to the liking of Gates and his acolytes, major changes…