Fox Report Peddles Misleading Claim of 50,000 ‘Noncitizens’ in Arizona Voter Rolls

Arizona election officials have clarified that the state has not yet identified up to 50,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls, countering misleading claims reported by several media outlets over the weekend. Reports by Fox News misrepresented a recent legal settlement involving Arizona counties and the grassroots organization Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona, also known as EZAZ.org.

Fox News published a story with the headline “Arizona to begin removing as many as 50K noncitizens from voter rolls following lawsuit,” stating that the settlement initiated a process for counties to verify and remove such registrants. Sam Stone, spokesperson for the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, refuted the claims, asserting that counties are only seeking assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enhance their citizenship verification processes.

According to Stone, Maricopa County will not disclose voter information to DHS until secure avenues for submitting data are established. The settlement stems from a lawsuit by America First Legal, which accused Arizona counties of not utilizing all available databases to verify voter citizenship as required by state law. The resolution mandates counties to communicate with DHS about submitting voter data for verification.

Republican leaders, including 2024 Senate candidate Kari Lake, have seized upon the Fox News report to assert the presence of noncitizens in Arizona’s voter rolls. Lake took to social media to express her views, suggesting the state is only adhering to the law due to external pressure.

Election officials in Arizona already employ multiple methods to verify citizenship during voter registration, as mandated by state law, which is more stringent than federal requirements. Federal law only necessitates that voters affirm their citizenship under penalty of perjury when registering. Trump’s recent executive order and the SAVE Act advocate for nationwide proof of citizenship requirements.

Currently, around 49,000 voters in Arizona can only participate in federal elections due to insufficient proof of citizenship. An additional 200,000 residents must confirm their citizenship status due to a state error in tracking such information, a situation disclosed last summer. Most individuals in this category are likely U.S. citizens lacking the required documentation, according to Stone.

Arizona county officials rely on a variety of documents, including driver’s licenses and birth certificates, to verify citizenship since a national database of U.S. citizens does not exist. Stone noted that while DHS can verify citizenship on an individual basis, it lacks the infrastructure for large-scale checks.

The America First Legal press release regarding the settlement did not claim Arizona has 50,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls, but rather indicated that the agreement will assist election officials in identifying and removing any noncitizens.

James Rogers, a senior counsel for America First Legal, highlighted that the settlement may also help enfranchise federal-only voters whose citizenship status is confirmed, enabling them to participate in state and local elections.