By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An Arizona judge has ordered his secretary of state to release a list of registered voters who may have failed to provide proof of citizenship required by state law because of a glitch, a lawsuit showed on Thursday.
A conservative organization earlier this month sued Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, after his office denied a public records request.
A computer glitch left thousands of people in Arizona registered to vote without providing proof of citizenship. The foreign secretary had previously said those on the list could face threats or intimidation if their names are released.
According to America First Legal, which filed the lawsuit, approximately 218,000 individuals are affected by this issue.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Arizona is one of seven battlegrounds in a tight race between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump for Tuesday’s US elections, according to polls.
It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in US federal elections, and state and private reviews have found very few instances of them doing so. Still, Trump and his allies have argued that large numbers of noncitizens could vote.
KEY QUOTES
“The court specifically finds that the information requested by the plaintiff in its request for public records qualifies as a ‘public document’ subject to mandatory and prompt disclosure under the Public Records Act because it has a ‘substantial connection’ with the defendants’ official duties and activities related to the conduct and administration of elections in Arizona,” Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney said in his opinion.
Fontes’ deputy communications director said his office is “reviewing our legal options,” according to Courthouse News Service.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
