Arizona election officials are facing a dilemma as nearly 100,000 “voters” in the state have failed to provide the necessary proof of citizenship, a requirement for voting in state and local elections. These voters, flagged as a result of an administrative error, could be moved to the federal-only ballot list, which limits voting to presidential and congressional races.

According to Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, the issue stems from a flaw in the system that allowed individuals with outdated driver’s licenses — those issued before October 1, 1996 — to vote in all elections. These licenses do not require proof of citizenship, but when duplicates were issued, the system updated the issuance date, giving the false impression that proof of citizenship was on file.

Richer explained on X that the Motor Vehicle Division’s (MVD) interface with the state voter registration system misread these duplicates, allowing many individuals to receive full ballots. These voters should have been restricted to federal-only ballots, which do not require citizenship proof.

Arizona law, in effect since December 8, 2004, mandates that voters must provide valid proof of citizenship to participate in state and local elections. Without this documentation, voters can only cast ballots for federal offices, such as president, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives.

The issue has sparked legal debate, with the Arizona Secretary of State arguing that it may be too close to the election to make such a significant change. This disagreement has led both parties to seek a court ruling for clarity on how to handle the situation.

Arizona Clean Elections clarifies that voters with incomplete documentation should be restricted to federal-only ballots, while full ballot voters are required to provide both proof of citizenship and residency.