A Maricopa County Superior Court Judge has ruled that Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes must justify his decision to withhold the names of 218,000 voters who were improperly registered due to a glitch in the state’s driver’s license database.
This issue primarily affects individuals who received a driver’s license before 1996 and were inaccurately labeled as having provided proof of citizenship—a requirement for voter registration in Arizona.
The conservative group America First Legal, led by former Trump aide Stephen Miller, filed the lawsuit to obtain these names, arguing that the list is crucial for electoral integrity. The glitch, discovered last month, means these voters may not have met citizenship requirements but had been registered for years without the necessary proof.
Judge Scott A. Blaney noted the importance of the issue, emphasizing Arizona’s public record law, which favors disclosure.
Fontes’ office has expressed concerns that releasing this information before the upcoming election could lead to confusion among voters. An evidentiary hearing is set for October 28, just days before the general election, with both sides allowed to present their arguments.
In response to the discovery, Governor Katie Hobbs has ordered an independent audit of the Motor Vehicle Division’s registration system.