PHOENIX, AZ — The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Friday that nearly 98,000 people whose citizenship documents have not been confirmed can vote in state and local elections.
The court’s decision comes after authorities discovered a bug in the database that for two decades mistakenly marked voters as having access to the full ballot.
Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Republican Maricopa County Clerk Stephen Richer disagreed over what status the electors should have. Richer asked the Supreme Court to rule on the issue.
The peculiarity of this state is that it distinguishes between voters who can only participate in federal elections and those who can vote in federal, state and local elections. Eligibility for the latter category requires the presentation of proof of citizenship.
The court ruled that county officials had no authority to change their status because those voters had registered long ago and had certified under penalty that they were citizens.
“We are not prepared to massively disenfranchise voters in state elections,” Chief Justice Ann Scott Timmer said in her ruling. “To do so is not authorized by state law and would violate due process principles.”
