Efforts to maintain voter integrity in Maricopa County have taken a new turn as County Recorder Justin Heap is poised to declare several hundred voters ineligible based on data indicating they are non-citizens. The move follows scrutiny over the federal database used to identify these individuals and the legality of the procedures being followed.
Recently, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office announced the use of the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE database to identify 137 active non-citizen voters in the county. This figure has now increased to 208, according to Heap’s update to KTAR.
Out of these individuals, 60 have reportedly participated in past elections, and Heap mentioned that these cases might soon be forwarded to law enforcement for further investigation.
Heap’s actions have drawn attention following a letter from Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who expressed concerns about the SAVE database’s reliability. An investigation by ProPublica highlighted issues with the database, including wrongful non-citizen flags.
NPR reported that the SAVE database, initially intended for immigration status checks, was adapted during the Trump Administration to assess voter citizenship with minimal oversight. In Texas, the database flagged a fraction of voters, including a naturalized citizen, reflecting potential errors.
In Maricopa County, the database identified approximately 0.005% of voters as non-citizens from a pool of 61,000 voters, following a flaw in the state’s election system’s communication with a Department of Transportation database discovered in 2024.
Secretary Fontes urged Heap to adhere to state laws requiring a chance for individuals to prove their eligibility before voter registration cancellations. Heap responded, asserting that his office has managed the situation in line with Arizona law.
The Process
Heap clarified that while no voter registrations have been canceled, those identified will be moved to a “non-eligible” status. This means they can only vote if they provide the necessary citizenship documentation. Voters will be informed about the required documents to maintain their eligibility.
In his letter, Heap stated, “Absent such documentation, the registrations will remain in an ineligible status through the November 2026 election.” If documentation isn’t submitted by then, further notices will inform affected voters of their status change to “not registered,” requiring re-registration with proof of citizenship for future voting.
However, election experts voiced concerns to Votebeat about Heap’s approach, suggesting it might not align with the procedures for resolving existing voter registrations flagged by the database. The Recorder’s Office has refrained from commenting further and referred inquiries about potential investigations to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
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