Number of voters affected by MVD citizenship proof 'glitch' grows to 218,000

[RandySF]

State elections officials have identified another 120,000 Arizona voters who are improperly registered to vote because of a glitch in the state’s driver’s license database, bringing the total number of affected voters to 218,000 — a number that may grow as officials continue to identify more longtime voters who were never required to provide proof of citizenship.

The glitch, which was first discovered two weeks ago, found that about 98,000 Arizonans who had registered to vote in the past 20 years had been inaccurately labeled as having provided proof of citizenship.

The error in the database used by the state’s Motor Vehicles Division affects people with pre-1996 licenses who had received replacements. On Monday, the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office said it had identified another 120,000 voters who have lived in Arizona and been registered to vote for decades, but who were never asked to prove their citizenship because of the “data coding oversight” in the system.

The voters, who have all attested to being United States citizens, are part of the data set which includes 79,000 Republicans, 61,000 Democrats and 76,000 listed as “other party,” according to the Secretary of State.



https://azmirror.com/briefs/number-of-voters-affected-by-mvd-citizenship-proof-glitch-grows-to-218000/

[cmmngrnd]

1. R's will try to lie about this -- know your facts!

The linked OP is a good summary of the situation. Thanks for it.

My guess is that Republicans will twist this to claim this is proof that Democrats are trying to get non-citizens to vote. You don't need a crystal ball to anticipate that this claim will likely show up post election if Harris takes Arizona. So, if you have the need to refute nonsense (at Thanksgiving dinner?), some summary information to know.
1.) All these people were already allowed to vote in federal elections, so this is not about trying to get non-citizens to vote for Harris. Only state and local elections are affected.
2.) All these people have been registered to vote for decades. The requirement for proof of citizenship for local elections became effective in 2005. The only people affected got driver's licenses or state ID prior to 1996, when citizenship started being noted on the IDs.
3.) All these people had to sign affidavits under penalty of law that they are citizens, as does every voter in the US. Again, they have been eligible voters for decades.
4.) These people have been voting in local election. It was the Republicans trying to take away their vote: Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and Arizona State Senate President Warren Peterson .
5.) Party affiliation of voters is estimated at 79,000 Republicans, 61,000 Democrats and 76,000 listed as “other party.” Hardly a Democratic vote fraud attempt. (from the OP link)
6.) The Arizona Supreme Court ruling allowing these people to vote in state and local elections was unanimous. Hardly partisan or controversial. ( https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/arizona-high-court-rules-nearly-98000-people-whose-citizenship-hadnt-been-confirmed-can-vote-the-full-ballot )
7.) All seven Arizona Supreme Court justices were appointed by Republicans: six appointed by Ducey and one by Brewer. Hardly a Democratic power play. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Supreme_Court )