The Trump administration modified the SAVE database to identify possible noncitizens registered to vote in US elections. (AI image)
With the November 3 midterm elections just days away, 25 US citizens in Arizona have regained their voting access after being wrongly identified as possible noncitizens. Of the 25 people covered by the lawsuit, 24 had their active voter status restored following mediation.
The disagreement reached Maricopa County Superior Court after Mayes sought to have the affected registrations restored before the election, according to Arizona Mirror. Their registrations were restored following a legal dispute between Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. The matter was settled when her office provided the citizenship information requested by Heap’s office. The remaining person had already regained voting access after independently submitting proof of citizenship.
The two sides reached an agreement through court-ordered mediation on Friday, bringing the lawsuit to an end.
However, when the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office examined those 60 cases, it found that 52 people were US citizens. Heap’s lawyer told the court that although investigators had established the voters’ citizenship, they had not shared the documents supporting those findings with the recorder’s office, according to KJZZ 91.5 FM. With the election approaching and the disagreement unresolved, Mayes filed a lawsuit seeking to restore voting access to the 25 citizens.
Only eight were identified as noncitizens. The investigation also found that no more than three of those eight had voted in the same election. The two offices disagreed over what was required to reinstate the voters. Heap maintained that the registrations could be restored once the necessary evidence was received.