Arizona county faces lawsuit over alleged refusal to purge illegal immigrants from voter rolls

The America First Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit on Monday against Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer (R), arguing that the Arizona county has failed to purge illegal immigrants from its voter rolls.

A copy of the lawsuit, obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, claimed that Richer and his office have “ignored” maintenance requirements for county recorders. It noted that in 2022, the state lawmakers adopted “stricter voter list” requirements to ensure the removal of foreign citizens. The adopted laws require monthly reviews of local voter rolls and comparisons with federal databases to verify citizenship status.

“[Richer] has failed to take the actions required by law to ensure that foreign citizens are removed from Maricopa County’s voter rolls,” the lawsuit read.

Founder of AFL and former senior advisor to President Donald Trump Stephen Miller told the DCNF, “America First Legal is leading the charge to keep illegal aliens from voting in 2024.”

“Maricopa County, in direct violation of state law, is refusing to remove illegal alien voters from the rolls,” Miller stated. “We are taking decisive action: suing Maricopa County for unlawfully permitting illegal aliens and foreign citizens to interfere in the 2024 election.”

A recent Rasmussen Reports survey, noted in AFL’s lawsuit, found that slightly more than 1% of likely voters in battleground states, including Arizona, admitted they are not citizens.

AFL previously sent demand letters to all Arizona counties, including Maricopa County, requesting the clean up of voter rolls. According to AFL, Richer’s attorney responded to the letter stating that his office would not be taking any further action, claiming it was already verifying voters’ citizenship status.

However, a July press release from the AFL contended that more than 35,000 registered voters in Arizona never provided proof of citizenship. The group noted that roughly 10,000 votes decided the 2020 presidential election in Arizona.

According to the New York Post, Arizona is one of at least 46 states that does not require documented proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Those seeking to register must only check a box claiming they are citizens. Proof of citizenship is required to vote in state or local elections in Arizona.

James Rogers, AFL legal senior counsel, told DCNF, “How can Arizonans have confidence in the integrity of their State’s elections when the government officials in charge of administering that election are not even following the law?”

“It is reasonable for Arizonans to be concerned,” Rogers added. “This lawsuit is about helping to restore the public’s trust by making sure that election officials follow the law and that foreigners are not able to influence the outcome of our elections.”

The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

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