Grand Canyon Times

In a recently compiled research brief titled “Arizona: Majority of Registrants Cancelled Due to Foreign Nationality in Tucson Came from Partisan Voter Drives,” the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) revealed Pima County records showing that since 2021,186 voter registrants were removed due to citizenship issues, with seven people found to have cast ballots in federal and local elections.  

This discovery echoes a similar trend in Maricopa County, where 222 cancellations have been recorded since 2015.

Lauren Bowman, Director of Communications for PILF, highlighted the vulnerability of the registration process, where individuals may unwittingly register to vote without understanding the implications, particularly in federal elections where states are unable to demand documentary proof of citizenship.

“In Pima County, the government records reveal that the highest source of foreign nationals getting on the voter roll was partisan voter registration drives,” Bowman told Grand Canyon Times. 

“Think of someone outside of a grocery store or at your county fair who asks you if would you like to register to vote. The foreign nationals fill out the voter registration form, which may even be in a foreign language, they don't understand. After filling out the voter registration form, they are required to be registered to vote for federal elections. States cannot seek documentary proof of citizenship before registering the applicant to vote in federal elections. Only an honor system prevents foreign citizens from easily registering to vote.”

Bowman emphasized the need for federal action to address these concerns, calling for updates to the Motor Voter law to allow states to require proof of citizenship for voter registration. 

“Federal law hampers states' ability to verify citizenship for federal elections,” she said. “By setting up a two-tier registration for state elections and federal elections, Arizona is doing what it can to stop foreigners from voting in state and local elections.  To fix this problem, Congress needs to update Motor Voter to allow states to require proof of citizenship and add citizenship to Motor Voter’s reasonable list maintenance requirements.”

She also noted PILF’s dedication to exposing flaws in the registration system and advocating for best election practices.

“PILF is exposing problems in the voter registration system to educate the public and election officials on areas of concern that must be addressed and best election practices,” she said. 

State Sen. Shawnna Bolick (R-Phoenix) expressed her worries, not only about foreign nationals registering to vote but also about the potential influence of foreign money on future elections. 

“The Public Interest Legal Foundation thankfully produces solid reports the general public can easily digest which means as a legislator when an election integrity group is willing to do the work it makes it easier for legislators to have the information to draft legislation,” Bolick told the Grand Canyon Times. 

Bolick proposed incorporating language in future legislation to prevent government agencies from providing voter registration applications to individuals who haven't provided documentation for REAL ID.

“Arizona has been involved with several lawsuits as of late,” she said. “In the future, we need to add language that would require the Motor Vehicles Department and other government agencies not to provide voter registration applications to any person who has not provided documentation for REAL ID. If a person hasn’t qualified for REAL ID, they shouldn’t be voting in the US.” 

Bolick highlighted the issue of voter registration materials being distributed to inmates in federal prisons and detention centers whose populations include foreign nationals, which she sees as a breach of election integrity.

“I am not only worried about foreign nationals registering to vote, but foreign monies impacting the future of our elections,” she said. 

“This issue is going to just continue to get worse until Biden works to close our borders. A friend of mine works as a U.S. Marshal in Texas. He recently contacted me to inform me the Department of Justice has a policy regarding voting materials to be given to all inmates in all federal prisons and detention centers.” 

“The federal government is illegally allowing foreign nationals to register to vote. So not only are criminals from the U.S. voting illegally in prison, but now the Biden Administration is allowing foreign nationals who are not U.S. citizens to do the same. Most felons in this country cannot vote until they have their voting rights restored. This is a blatant abuse of overreach into the states. Americans should be outraged and disgusted the federal government is trying to execute a prisoner/convicted felon voter drive. Our prisons need to step up to ensure no ballots or election information is coming through or out to/from current prisoners domestic or foreign. Our election administrators should be flagging prison addresses, not sending out mail-in ballots.” 

In response to these concerns, Bolick sponsored a bill aimed at banning foreign funds in Arizona elections, emphasizing the need for stricter regulations on voter registration, particularly concerning the distribution of ballots and election information to prisoners. 

The bill, known as SB1374P, mandates strict measures to ensure transparency and accountability in financial transactions related to election administration.

Non-government entities must certify to the Secretary of State, at least ten days before agreements with the government, that they aren't knowingly receiving foreign donations. 

They must annually update this certification and notify the Secretary of State of any funding changes. The Secretary of State must maintain and publish these certifications on the state website.

The bill also grants authority to the Attorney General to file legal actions against violators. 

In a press release the PILF announced that since 2015, over 400 voting registration cancellations due to citizenship issues have been recorded in Pima and Maricopa Counties combined. Among these cancellations, six individuals were attributed with voting in Tucson during the 2022 midterm elections.

Arizona operates a two-tier voter registration system based on proof of citizenship, but challenges persist in accurately identifying foreign nationals attempting to register.

Pima County's data indicates that the majority of cancellations stemmed from partisan voter drives. 

“Federal law hampers states’ abilities to validate citizenship during the voter registration process. The federal government could update Motor Voter to allow states to require proof of citizenship and add citizenship to Motor Voter’s reasonable list maintenance requirements. Arizona is limited to building imperfect systems to address the problem of foreign national voting,” PILF President, J. Christian Adams, said in a statement.