Maricopa County investigation into over 200 names finds 8 noncitizens who voted

An investigation into more than 200 names on voter rolls flagged by the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office found eight noncitizens who voted at least once, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced Monday.

“Though our findings today would not change the outcome of any past election, every ineligible voter dilutes the vote of a citizen,” Mitchell said during a news conference.

It is a felony in Arizona for noncitizens to vote, but Mitchell said she has not yet determined whether to prosecute the cases.

Seven of the cases are related to a state Motor Vehicle Division voter registration system error that dates back to 2004 and was discovered in 2024. The seven were not registered until they renewed their driver’s licenses, Mitchell said.

In the other case, the voter was allowed to register in 2012 even though the registration form was marked to indicate that the person was not a citizen.

The eight noncitizen voters all have legal status to be in the country and received their first driver’s licenses before 1996, a key date for the MVD system error, Mitchell said.

“Most have lived in the U.S. for decades. One person has been here more than 72 years,” Mitchell said.

Two were registered as Republicans, one as a Democrat, and five had no party affiliation.

They cast ballots a combined total of 16 times, mostly in general elections. The first instance was in 2012. No more than three of the noncitizens voted in any single election.

How is an MVD voter registration error related to noncitizen voting?

The MVD registration error stems from a 2004 state law that requires voters to provide proof of citizenship to vote in state and local elections.

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

However, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office discovered a glitch two years ago in the interface between the state’s voter registration database and MVD records for voters who originally got their licenses before the 1996 cutoff and also were issued duplicates at some point afterward.

As a result, those voters had not supplied the state with proof of citizenship. However, the system was erroneously showing the date of the duplicate as the license issuance date, leading election officials to incorrectly believe the MVD had proof of citizenship on record.

It is believed that nearly 100,000 registered voters statewide who originally got their Arizona driver’s licenses before 1996 might not have provided proof of citizenship.

It does not necessarily mean those voters are not citizens; it just means they had not provided the documentation as required under state law.

60 of the 207 people flagged for citizenship concerns have voted

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office investigation began after the Recorder’s Office sent prosecutors the names of 207 registered voters who might not be U.S. citizens in March.

MCAO investigators determined that 60 of them had voted at least once and focused on those cases first.

“During the investigation, we learned that 52 of those 60 are in fact U.S. citizens,” Mitchell said.

The investigation into the other 147 people referred by the Recorder’s Office is ongoing.

In addition to releasing the initial investigation findings Monday, Mitchell identified flaws in the registration system she wants the Legislature to address.

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