No.
There is no evidence to suggest that thousands of undocumented immigrants are registered on Arizona’s voter rolls. Non-citizen voting has been found to be exceedingly rare.
The estimate was sourced from a legal complaint filed in federal court by a coalition of conservative groups and individuals, which accused Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes of inadequate voter roll maintenance. The estimate does not refer to undocumented immigrants on voter rolls, but rather voters who have moved or died but remain registered. Arizona’s Attorney General has filed a motion to dismiss the legal complaint, stating there is not sufficient evidence to back up the claim.
It is not uncommon for states to have surplus voters on their rolls. Federal law requires that states follow a sometimes years-long process to remove voters who have moved elsewhere or died.
This fact brief responds to conversations 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.
Sources
- United States District Court for the District of Arizona, Complaint against SOS Fontes
- United States District Court for the District of Arizona, Arizona Attorney General’s Motion to Dismiss
- National Conference of State Legislatures, Voter Registration List Maintenance
- Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, Attacks on Voter Rolls and How to Protect Them
- U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, The National Voter Registration Act Of 1993 (NVRA)
- Public Law 107–252 107th Congress, Help America Vote Act of 2002
- Electronic Registration Information Center, About
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
