PHOENIX — The Arizona Secretary of State's office released updated numbers on registrants impacted by an "administrative error," bringing the total to approximately 218,000.
According to officials, these voters could have had access to a full ballot for decades when they should have been receiving a federal-only ballot.
See ABC15's original reporting from when the issue was announced in the player above.
Like Arizona’s electorate overall, the affected voters lean Republican. This new group of approximately 120,000 voters includes 79,000 Republicans, 61,000 Democrats and 76,000 independents.
State and county officials came out earlier in September to announce that they are investigating the issue impacting the voting status and ballots of some people living in Arizona who have not provided documentation of U.S. citizenship.
The Secretary of State and County Recorder differed on their positions on how to move forward from the issue. County Recorder Steve Richer said the issue was going to courts “to get a clear answer.”
On September 20, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that those whose citizenship documents hadn’t been confirmed can vote in state and local races.
The voter registration database is now updated to correctly flag the impacted voters as needing proof of citizenship, according to a Monday statement.
Those who are impacted by this issue will be contacted by election officials regarding their voting status after this year's election, if necessary, according to Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
THE ISSUE
Beginning Dec. 8, 2004, Arizona law required registrants who provided documentation to receive full ballots and those who did not provide documentation to receive federal-only ballots. According to the law, a driver’s license issued after Oct. 1, 1996, could be used as proof of citizenship.
An MVD and "AVID system" administrative issue reportedly involved duplicate licenses and their issuance dates.
“The AVID system was programmed to query the duplicate issuance date and would not alert the county that the license was originally issued before 10/1/1996,” according to the governor’s office.
"This flaw has existed since 2004. In every county. Across the state," Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer previously said on X.
Fontes’ office said it is continuing to work with the MVD to determine if more people are affected.
