Systemic Failures in Voter Registration Process Threaten Election Integrity: Arizona Voters Urged to Verify Their Registration Status Before October 7th Deadline
PHOENIX, AZ -- Arizona is grappling with a significant voter disenfranchisement crisis as over 9,000 voters in the 2022 elections were forced to vote provisionally due to canceled voter registrations, often without their knowledge or consent. This troubling trend appears to have resulted from interactions with motor vehicle departments or mail forwarding requests, leading to a violation of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
The NVRA mandates that voters can only be removed from registration rolls under specific conditions. However, it seems many Arizonans have been improperly disenfranchised. Despite claims that motor vehicle interactions imply consent, affected voters did not authorize such actions, and outdated file signatures have been used in these cases.
Detailed Findings and Issues:
- Voter Disenfranchisement through MVD Interactions: All online voter registration activities in Arizona are handled through the Motor Vehicle Department's (MVD) online portal. As an opt-in state, voter changes should only be made with explicit voter consent. However, the MVD program uses an “on-file” digital signature, leading to changes in voter registrations without the voters' knowledge or consent. This lack of a physical signature exacerbates the problem.
- Provisional Ballots Surge: The 2022 general election saw up to a 600% increase in provisional ballots across Arizona. This anomaly was linked to the Abe Hamadeh election challenge, where Abe Hamadeh “lost” the Arizona Attorney General’s race by 280 votes. Our investigation identified over 9,000 unusual provisional ballots that were rejected. This discrepancy could potentially alter the outcome of many down-ballot races.
- Systemic Registration Errors: Preliminary investigations revealed that 80% of the sample set we examined were registered in different counties than where they attempted to vote. This suggests a significant issue, as it is improbable that these individuals traveled to a different county to vote. Most affected voters either owned secondary homes or registered vehicles in other counties, unaware that the MVD had altered their registration.
- Failure in Registration Processing: The remainder of affected voters either had their registrations not processed by the deadline or were processed with errors in names and addresses by the county. Detailed declarations from these voters and supporting registration data highlight a clear systemic failure in the voter registration process.
- Legal and Administrative Responses: Attempts to litigate this issue are currently pending in the Arizona Supreme Court. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has acknowledged the problem, attributing responsibility to the Arizona Secretary of State’s office (AZSOS). Despite this admission, no elected officials have taken corrective action or been held accountable.
“This is a serious and troubling issue. Arizona voters are being disenfranchised in an unacceptable manner," said Shelby Busch, Vice Chair of the Maricopa County Republican Party and Co-Founder of We The People AZ Alliance.
"Our election system must uphold the integrity of every voter’s right to participate. We are committed to addressing these injustices and ensuring that every Arizonan’s vote counts,” Busch said.
Busch further emphasized the dismissive response by Arizona elections officials. “Our elected officials need to quit punting this problem to someone else and solve it ASAP," she said.
"The ServiceArizona.com online voter registration system needs to be corrected to prevent default changes and ensure that voter registrations are not canceled or altered due to motor vehicle interactions. Any such changes should require a separate and distinct action by the voter to avoid further disenfranchisement.”
Call to Action: With the 2024 election just weeks away, ALL Arizona voters are urgently urged to check their registration status to ensure their rights are protected. Voters must check their registration online regularly and specifically during the week of the voter registration deadline, from October 1st through the 7th, 2024. The last day to register or make changes is October 7th.
Voters can verify their registration status here: https://wethepeopleazalliance.com/voterinfo.
Ensuring that your registration is current is crucial to safeguarding your right to vote.
For further information and resources, please visit the Arizona Secretary of State's website or contact your local election office.
For more information about citizen-led Arizona election integrity efforts visit www.wethepeoplealliance.com. To request documentation, legal filings or an interview, contact Melissa Rein Lively: Melissa@AmericaFirstPublicRelations.com or call 602.384.4747.
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