Pima County is asking thousands of long-time voters to provide proof of citizenship to rectify “a decades old error†for some people who registered to vote through the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Motor Vehicle Division.
The problem has been known for some time, but the letters have been arriving over the last few days.
The letters asking about 30,000 voters in the county to submit copies of their proof of citizenship, because of a glitch in the state DMV system “that incorrectly marked some individuals as having provided documentary proof of citizenship when obtaining their driver’s license with no documentation on file,†the Pima County Recorder’s Office said in a news release earlier this month announcing the mailings.
The first batch of letters were sent Friday, said Marion Chubon, chief deputy recorder at the Pima County Recorder’s Office.
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About 22,000 additional letters will be mailed out in the coming weeks, she said.
Currently there is no impact on a voter’s ability to vote in local or state elections because of this issue, Chubon said.
That could change in the future, however, depending on changes in law or court rulings.
“The error affects ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ residents who obtained their driver’s licenses before October 1, 1996 − when proof of legal citizenship was not required for a license − and have since updated their license,†the Recorder’s Office said in a . “The Pima County Recorder’s Office conducted a close review of all impacted records and were able to successfully determine the citizenship of nearly 5 percent of the original list, referred to us by the Secretary of State’s Office in January.â€
The glitch was discovered ahead of the Nov. 5 election last year when Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer discovered one person who had been registered who was not, in fact, a citizen despite the MVD certification, as previously reported by Capitol Media Services.
The issue stems from a 2004 voter-approved law that requires proof of citizenship to register and vote.
That law says proof could be verified by the registrant providing the number on an ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ driver’s license issued after Oct. 1, 1996. That is the effective date of a separate law requiring proof of legal presence to get a license.
The list initially was estimated at 98,000 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ns but grew to about 218,000 registered voters when other problems were discovered in the link between MVD’s database and information being provided to counties.
The MVD glitch did not impact voters’ ability to cast their ballots in the 2024 election, the Pima County Recorder’s Office said earlier this month. That’s because a ruling by the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Supreme Court in September “allowed impacted voters to continue voting in state and local races,†the office said.
Those who receive the letter should send back a copy of their birth certificate, U.S. passport, U.S. citizenship certificate, or their Tribal Identification documentation using the envelope that’s provided or by email at VoterDocs@recorder.pima.gov. Documentation also can be provided in person at office’s Public Service Center Building, at 240 N. Stone Ave.
Chubon recommended reaching out to the vital records office in the county a voter was born in to obtain an official record of birth. In Pima County, the office of vital records is located in the Pima County Health Department, she said.
Voters can call the Recorder’s Office at 520-724-4330 to find out if this issue impacts their registration.
