A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has ordered Arizona’s Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes, to release a list of approximately 98,000 voters mistakenly classified as eligible for the full ballot due to a coding glitch in state databases.
The ruling came after America First Legal, a group led by Stephen Miller, requested the list under public records laws, which Fontes initially denied, citing concerns over voter safety and accuracy.
Judge Scott Blaney ruled that there was no credible evidence that releasing the information would lead to misuse or harassment of the voters involved. The judge set a deadline for the list to be released by noon on Monday, along with information used by Fontes in previous statements suggesting that the number of affected voters could be as high as 218,000.
The glitch does not impact federal races but could influence tight local and state contests, especially regarding contentious issues like abortion and immigration. The affected voters are evenly divided among Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters.
Fontes’ office is currently reviewing the decision, while Blaney has restricted America First Legal from sharing the data ahead of Election Day. The misclassification was linked to issues with Arizona’s Motor Vehicle Division database, particularly affecting voters who obtained licenses before October 1996.
Arizona’s election laws uniquely require proof of citizenship for local and state elections, and those who have not verified their citizenship can only vote in federal elections.
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