Watchdog group sues Maricopa County over illegal immigrants on voter lists
Conservative watchdog group America First Legal has taken legal action against Maricopa County in Arizona, claiming that the county has failed to remove thousands of illegal immigrants from its voter rolls. AFL president Stephen Miller emphasized the importance of preventing illegal aliens from voting in the upcoming 2024 election. Miller stated, “Maricopa County, in direct violation of state law, is refusing to remove illegal alien voters from the rolls. We are taking decisive action: suing Maricopa County for unlawfully permitting illegal aliens and foreign citizens to interfere in the 2024 election.”
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the nonprofit group Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona and Yvonne Cahill, a registered voter and naturalized citizen in Maricopa County. AFL provided Maricopa County with a one-week deadline to address the alleged illegal immigrants on the voter roll.
In response to the lawsuit, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, through his attorney, maintained that his office is already complying with the law and refused to take any further action.
According to the lawsuit, as of April 2024, over 35,000 registered voters in Arizona had not provided proof of citizenship, limiting them to voting only in federal races, as reported by the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.
The lawsuit highlights the discrepancy in Arizona’s voter registration system between those who provide proof of citizenship (DPOC) and those who do not. While DPOC is required for state and local elections in Arizona, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the federal voter registration form does not mandate this requirement. As a result, Arizona has a two-tiered system where Federal-Only Voters can only participate in federal elections.
The lawsuit notes that the number of Federal-Only Voters in Maricopa County has been increasing each month.
In 2022, Arizona implemented two laws that impose stricter voter list maintenance requirements for Federal-Only Voters. These laws mandate that county recorders conduct monthly maintenance to verify citizenship and check newly registered Federal-Only Voters within ten days.
Despite these requirements, the lawsuit alleges that Recorder Richer has failed to perform the necessary list maintenance as mandated by law.
A spokesperson for Maricopa County Recorder’s Office stated, “Under Recorder Stephen Richer, voter list maintenance has remained a top priority, removing more than 400,000 voters from the rolls since January 2021. As an administrative office, we will continue to follow the letter of the law.”
Since the 2020 election, Maricopa County has been embroiled in controversies regarding election integrity and procedures. The critical battleground county has faced allegations of widespread voter fraud, improper ballot handling, and voting machine malfunctions. However, many of these claims have been dismissed by courts and election officials.
As the legal battle between America First Legal and Maricopa County unfolds, the county remains at the center of ongoing debates over election security and voter eligibility.
