Maricopa County prosecutors are investigating the citizenship status of 207 registered voters based on data from a federal database, SAVE, which has been found to have inaccuracies in other states. The investigation follows a previous MVD error that impacted thousands of voters.
Maricopa County prosecutors are currently investigating the citizenship status of 207 registered voters. This investigation stems from concerns raised by a federal database, the Systemic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE), which has been found to produce widespread errors in other states.
The Maricopa County Recorder's Office, led by Justin Heap, initially referred 137 registered voters for investigation on Friday, followed by an additional 70 names on Monday afternoon, as confirmed by a statement from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. These individuals were flagged as potentially non-citizens after the Recorder's Office reviewed records of over 61,000 individuals affected by a long-standing Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) error that incorrectly marked them as having provided proof of citizenship. This highlights the complexities and potential inaccuracies inherent in the current processes used to verify voter eligibility.\The use of the SAVE database has come under scrutiny due to its reported inaccuracies. A ProPublica report from February detailed instances in Missouri and Texas where local election officials discovered numerous errors after using SAVE to cross-reference voter rolls. Jen Fifield, a journalist who covered the story, pointed out that the system often misidentifies citizens as non-citizens because it may not have the most up-to-date information on an individual's citizenship status. She cited examples where further investigation revealed that many individuals initially flagged as non-citizens were indeed citizens. The Trump administration has undertaken efforts to revamp SAVE, an online system initially used by government agencies to check eligibility for public benefits. Concerns about voter integrity are paramount, but experts emphasize the need for robust verification methods. Gina Swoboda, a former chair of the Arizona Republican Party, recognizes the potential of SAVE but stresses the importance of thorough investigation when the database flags someone. Fifield emphasizes the need for extensive verification, often involving line-by-line review of documentation, before any public announcements or changes to voter registration are made. The absence of a central citizen database further complicates the process, with SAVE primarily relying on Social Security data, which may not accurately reflect naturalization status.\The Maricopa County Recorder's Office has not disclosed the specific steps taken to confirm the citizenship status of the individuals flagged by SAVE. Arizona state law mandates that county recorders notify registered voters if evidence suggests they are not citizens, providing a 35-day window for them to respond with citizenship documentation. A prior MVD coding error further complicates the matter. The error, discovered shortly before the 2024 election, incorrectly marked some registered voters as having provided proof of citizenship, impacting approximately 218,000 voters across Arizona, including 83,000 in Maricopa County. An ABC15 investigation and a bipartisan audit confirmed these findings. Furthermore, last summer, Heap’s office issued letters to affected voters in Maricopa County, requesting proof of citizenship. The Recorder’s Office communicated that voters who did not provide proof of citizenship would be moved to the federal-only rolls. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has advised against canceling voter registrations based solely on the MVD error, emphasizing that counties may request proof of citizenship but lack the authority to alter registration status if the voter does not respond
Maricopa County Voter Registration Citizenship SAVE Database Election Integrity
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