Florida Group Takes Aim at 1.2 Million Arizona Voter Registrations in Bold Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed by a Florida-based organization, Citizen AG, claims that Arizona’s voter registration rolls contain approximately 1.2 million ineligible individuals. The legal action argues that over 1.6 million registered voters did not participate in the last two elections and failed to respond to mandatory notices from election officials, indicating they may be deceased or have changed addresses.

In its documentation, the organization acknowledges that 432,498 voters were eliminated from the rolls following the 2022 midterms. Nonetheless, concerns persist regarding the remaining 1.2 million voters whose eligibility has not been verified.

Citizen AG is appealing to U.S. District Court Judge Steven Logan to compel Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to release public records related to voter registration maintenance. Their assertion is rooted in the National Voter Registration Act, which mandates the availability of such information. However, the only response received from Fontes’ office was that no relevant records exist.

The organization is not solely seeking record access; they are urging Judge Logan to order the immediate removal of voters who did not respond to confirmation notices and did not vote in the last two elections. If full removal isn’t feasible, they propose that these individuals should only be permitted to cast provisional ballots, which are subject to further legal scrutiny.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Friday morning, though no immediate comment was provided by Fontes’ office. Legal experts speculate that his defense may challenge the request for swift action, citing that these issues could have been raised earlier.

Adding complexity to the case, recent statistics reveal that over two million Arizonans have cast early ballots, with individual votes anonymized following verification of signatures on the ballots.

At the core of the lawsuit lies the requirement for accurate voter registration under the National Voter Registration Act. According to the act, Arizona must eliminate ineligible voters based on changes of residence. Notification is sent via forwardable mail, and when there’s no response, voters are initially classified as “inactive.”

Inactive voters can still participate if they provide proof of residence that corrects any notifications received. However, if there’s no response and no voting in subsequent elections, they must be purged from the voter rolls.

On October 4, Citizen AG formally requested voter history and information regarding inactive voters to determine eligibility. As of the lawsuit’s filing, the response from Fontes’ office stated that no records fulfilling this request were available.

The lawsuit emphasizes that federal law mandates the retention and availability of records relating to voter list maintenance for at least two years. The failure to respond to Citizen AG raises questions about compliance with this requirement.

Much remains unclear about Citizen AG. The organization’s representatives have not responded to inquiries seeking comment. State Rep. Alexander Kolodin, acting as a local attorney for the group, declined to discuss the ongoing litigation.

Their website indicates Citizen AG aims to empower citizens by enabling registered voters to challenge their county’s voter rolls. Additionally, the organization has previously engaged in legal actions in Georgia to enforce stricter voter eligibility requirements.

Executive Director Mike Yoder, as noted on their site, has a track record of litigating against mandates he deems infringe on personal freedoms, including those concerning vaccine mandates.