The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Friday that nearly 100,000 residents can receive full ballots without citizenship proof, swiftly resolving a clerical blunder that questioned whether they could cast votes in elections this November.
The Friday ruling came just days after election officials said they found that roughly 98,000 state residents were registered to vote in local and state elections, but had not provided the proof of citizenship necessary to participate.
The Maricopa County Recorder’s office noticed a computing error that marked these residents eligible to cast votes in Arizona’s state, local and federal elections, without ever presenting citizenship documents.
The state’s highest court ruling presented a win for Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and the Grand Canyon State’s liberal-leaning groups on Friday.
“Today marks a significant victory for those whose fundamental right to vote was under scrutiny,” Fontes said in a statement. “The court faced a stark choice: to allow voters to participate in just a few federal races on a limited ballot, or to make their voices heard across hundreds of decisions on a full ballot that includes a variety of local and state offices.”
“We deeply appreciate the Arizona Supreme Court for their prompt and just resolution,” he continued.
The court ruled on whether these Arizonans would receive a “federal-only” ballot or the full ballot, which encompasses state and local races. The state utilizes separate ballots since Arizona requires prospective voters to provide citizenship proof before they can cast voters in local and state elections. That requirement does not apply to ballots for federal office.
“Regardless, we are unwilling on these facts to disenfranchise voters en masse from participating in state contests. Doing so is not authorized by state law and would violate principles of due process,” the court’s Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer wrote in the ruling.
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, welcomed the court’s decision despite his office arguing that residents could only vote in elections for federal office due to the initial error.
“Thank God,” he said in a Friday night post on X. “Thank you Arizona Supreme Court for your extremely quick and professional review of this matter.”