Maricopa County Shocks 83,000 Voters with Erroneous Mailings

The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office has mailed approximately 83,000 erroneous letters to voters, alerting them incorrectly that they risk being moved to the inactive voter list if they do not respond. This mistake, attributed to a printing error, affects around 3% of registered voters in the county.

According to Sam Stone, chief of staff in the Recorder’s Office, the recipients were meant to receive a different notification entirely. The incorrect letters suggested that the Arizona Department of Transportation had informed the Recorder’s Office that these individuals obtained a driver’s license in another state.

Stone assured that none of the affected voters will actually be reassigned to the inactive voter list, countering the claims made in the misleading letters. The owner of the print shop responsible for this miscommunication has not yet responded to inquiries.

In reality, these voters were supposed to be notified about a state error requiring them to provide proof of citizenship to ensure their eligibility for voting. Arizona law mandates that voters present such documentation for state and local elections.

Last summer, the state disclosed that it had not secured citizenship proof from approximately 200,000 voters statewide. Following this, several Arizona counties have begun mailing notifications to remind these voters of their obligations, with Maricopa County’s correspondence intended for this purpose.

At present, the timeline for sending the correct letters to the affected voters remains uncertain.