ARIZONA NEWS

Bipartisan duo appointed to lead Arizona MVD audit after voter registration system error

Oct 20, 2024, 6:30 AM

MVD audit...

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has an MVD audit in the wake of a high-profile voter registration system error. (Screenshot)

(Screenshot)

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has appointed a current and former county recorder to lead an independent audit of the state’s Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) in the wake of a high-profile voter registration system error.

Democratic Coconino County Recorder Patty Hansen and former Yuma County Recorder Robyn Stallworth-Pouquette, a Republican, were selected to lead the probe, Hobbs announced Friday.

“It’s important that we have a thorough audit of all MVD policies and procedures related to voter registration to ensure MVD is doing everything they can to support our election officials,” the Democratic governor said in a press release.

Hobbs announced plans for the MVD audit on Sept. 17, after election officials announced that they had uncovered a system error that dated back 20 years.

What led up to Hobbs ordering MVD audit?

The mistake has since been corrected and the courts ruled that the impacted voters will remain eligible for the Nov. 5 general election without having to supply any additional documentation.

When the issue was first made public, officials said about 98,000 voters who might not have submitted proper citizenship documentation have been allowed to vote for years because of the MVD glitch.

Less than two weeks after the Arizona Supreme Court cleared those voters for the upcoming election, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announced that another 120,000 voters might be involved, by no fault of their own.

The problem stems from a 2004 Arizona law that requires voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to be eligible to participate in state elections. Arizonans who haven’t provided documentary proof but attest to their citizenship can vote, but only in federal races (president and Congress), per U.S. law.

Why some Arizona voters haven’t submitted proof of citizenship

Since Oct. 1, 1996, Arizonans have had to provide valid proof of citizenship to get a driver’s license. Therefore, the licenses have long been accepted as proof of citizenship for voter registration.

However, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office discovered a glitch in the interface between the state’s voter registration database and the MVD, which is a division of the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The MVD had not been flagging voters who originally got their licenses before the 1996 cutoff and also were issued duplicates at some point afterward, meaning those voters have not supplied the state with proof of citizenship. In those cases, the system was erroneously showing the date of the duplicate as the license issuance date, leading elections officials to incorrectly believe the MVD had proof of citizenship on record.

It does not necessarily mean those voters are not citizens, it just means they haven’t provided the documentation as required under state law.

When will Arizona MVD audit be completed?

Hobbs said the MVD audit into the agency’s policies and procedures will start immediately. A report on the findings, with suggested improvements, is due by Jan. 31, 2025.

“We look forward to working with this bipartisan review, sharing information on MVD processes and the suitability of our data for voter registration purposes. We will continue making improvements to assist elections officials in the voter registration process in Arizona,” MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said in the release.

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Bipartisan duo appointed to lead Arizona MVD audit after voter registration system error