Did a deceased Arizona resident ‘vote’ for Joe Biden in 2020?

A deceased Pima County resident did not have a ballot cast in their name in Arizona’s 2020 election. The resident died in 2019 and was listed as deceased on the vote rolls that year. The Pima County Recorder’s Office confirmed in an email that the resident last voted in 2018.

In Arizona, County Recorders’ offices are primarily responsible for voter roll maintenance and must follow state procedures, including those outlined in the Arizona Election Procedures Manual. 

Staff of the Pima County Recorder compare voter rolls with a monthly list of deceased people from the Arizona Department of Health Services and cancel the registrations of any matches. Staff also compare a list from the Electronic Registration Information Center with deaths from the Social Security Administration, look at obituaries published in local papers and field calls from family members of voters who have died. 

This fact brief is responsive to claims such as this one. 

The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.