Arizona court rules on 98K voters in limbo after 20-year-old citizenship coding error

PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that nearly 98,000 people will receive a full ballot with federal, state and local races after a legal fight over a clerical error put the secretary of state and Maricopa County recorder at odds over how to verify voters’ proof of citizenship.Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes fought for full access to vote in all races while Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican, argued that those left in the breach of citizenship verification should get a federal-only ballot to protect the integrity of Arizona’s state and local elections.The lawsuit between the two offices came after the the Maricopa County recorder’s office discovered a 20-year-old coding error for voters who had a license in the state before 1996, when Arizona began accepting state driver’s licenses as proof of citizenship, but didn’t renew it or move until after 2004, when Proposition 200 was passed requiring citizenship documentation to vote.

Both sides breathed a sigh of relief when the court handed down a ruling Friday, ensuring a smoother path to Election Day.“We won.

No voters on ‘the list’ will be made Fed-Only.Congrats team.

Thank you amici.Now…let’s go have an election!!,” Fontes tweeted Friday.

Richer also took to Twitter to react to the ruling, as the case was described as a “friendly” lawsuit intended to clarify the law, according to the Arizona Republic.“AZ Supreme Court ruled for defendant (Fontes),” he tweeted Friday.

“The 100k registrants will continue to vote a full ballot this election.Thank God.

Thank you Arizona Supreme Court for your extremely quick and professional review of this matter.”Before the ruling, Gov.Katie Hobbs said her office “identified and fixed an administrative error” that led to the problem and worked with the Motor Vehicle Department to “implement a solution” and audit.

Arizona law requires proof of citizenship for voter registration in addition to what...