A failure to document the citizenship status of Arizona voters is now estimated to affect as many as 218,000 people — more than double what state election officials initially said after discovering the mistake this month.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) announced the new number Monday and said the problem affects more Republicans than Democrats or independents. State election officials have previously said that the number of affected voters could change as they investigate the scope of the 20-year-old problem, which began as part of an effort to implement a Republican-led state law intended to prevent rare instances of voting by noncitizens.
Arizona voters who do not provide proof of citizenship, such as a U.S. birth certificate, are not allowed to vote in state or local elections. But the state Supreme Court this month ruled those whose voting status has recently been drawn into question can vote in all races this fall.