The conservative watchdog group America First Legal is suing an Arizona county for refusing to remove thousands of illegal immigrants from its voter rolls.
“America First Legal is leading the charge to prevent illegal aliens from voting in 2024,” AFL President Stephen Miller said in a statement. “Maricopa County is refusing to remove illegal alien voters from its rolls in direct violation of state law. We are taking decisive action. Charge Maricopa County with unlawfully permitting intervention.”
The lawsuit was filed Monday night on behalf of the Arizona nonprofit Strong Communities Foundation and Yvonne Cahill, a registered voter and naturalized citizen of Maricopa County. The move comes after the government was given one week to address the allegations. Voter list.
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A voter casts a ballot in a secure ballot box at the Maricopa County Counting and Elections Center in Phoenix on November 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
In response, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, through his attorney, said he would not take any action and insisted the department was already complying with the law.
According to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, the lawsuit alleges that as of April 2024, more than 35,000 registered voters in Arizona have not provided proof of citizenship and are restricted to voting only in federal elections. It is claimed that
The lawsuit alleges that Arizona's voter registration system creates a divide between those who submit proof of citizenship (DPOC) and those who do not. Arizona law requires DPOC for state and local elections, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal voter registration forms do not require this requirement. As a result, Arizona has a bifurcated system in which voters using the federal form (known as federal-only voters) are restricted to voting only in federal elections.
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On June 20, 2024, a temporary election worker was caught on video allegedly removing security equipment from the Maricopa County Counting and Elections Center in Arizona. (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
“The number of federal representative-only voters in Maricopa County is increasing each month,” the complaint alleges.
In 2022, Arizona enacted two laws that impose stricter voter list maintenance requirements for voters in federal elections only. These laws require county recorders to conduct monthly maintenance to verify citizenship and check newly registered federal-only voters within 10 days.
“Recorder Richer failed to maintain this required list,” the lawsuit claims.
“The Maricopa County Recorder's Office prioritizes and takes pride in maintaining an accurate and up-to-date voter rolls,” a spokesperson for the county registrar told FOX News Digital in a statement. Ta.
“Under Recorder Stephen Richer, maintaining the voter register remains a top priority, with more than 400,000 voters removed from the register since January 2021. As an executive branch, we continue to uphold the law. We continue to follow the letter,” the spokesperson said.
Since the 2020 election, Maricopa County has been at the center of controversy over election integrity and procedures. The county, a key battleground state, faces widespread allegations of voting fraud, including allegations of improper ballot handling and malfunctioning voting machines. However, most of these claims have been rejected by courts and election authorities.
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Maricopa Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates speaks about malfunctioning voting machines at the Maricopa County Tally and Elections Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 8, 2022. (John Moore/Getty Images)
In June, temporary election workers Maricopa County According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, he was caught on surveillance camera footage allegedly stealing a “digital magnetic key” from a counting center. According to documents, the suspect was previously arrested on suspicion of stealing $1,800 in cash from a cash register while working as a cashier at a nearby grocery store.
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Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
