Politics
Court-mediated agreement restores 24 Maricopa County voters to active rolls
Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap restored 24 voters’ active status after a court-supervised mediation resolved a dispute over citizenship documentation. Ballots have been sent to those on the Active Early Voting List.
Twenty-four Maricopa County voters whose registrations had been marked ineligible have been returned to active status after a court-supervised mediation between County Recorder Justin Heap and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office, officials said Friday, Oct. 23.
The agreement followed a lawsuit over the voters’ eligibility and access to ballots. Heap’s office said it restored the voters after a judge reviewed citizenship records and found them sufficient. Ballots have been issued to voters on the Active Early Voting List, according to the recorder’s office.
The dispute came to a resolution hours after Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Adele Ponce arranged mediation during a hearing. A separate evidentiary hearing had been scheduled for Monday in case the talks failed; it is no longer expected to be needed.
Heap’s office said it had sought citizenship verification from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for four weeks. During mediation, Heap agreed that the records could be submitted to the court rather than directly to the recorder. A court minute entry affirming the records’ sufficiency provided the documentation Heap’s office said it needed.
Heap said his office restored the voters as soon as it received what it considered legally sufficient proof. Mayes, meanwhile, criticized the delay, saying it should not have taken litigation to secure the voters’ rights. Her office said it will continue monitoring the matter.
The case initially involved 25 voters, but one person had already submitted citizenship documentation and regained active status before Friday’s mediation. At the hearing, Mayes’ attorney said the state had driver’s-license information qualifying the remaining 24 voters to cast ballots and was prepared to provide it. She argued that requiring additional proof could shift the burden onto voters already registered.
The dispute is part of a broader review that began earlier this year, when Heap referred 207 registered voters he suspected were not U.S. citizens to the county attorney’s office. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said last month that, among 60 people who had voted in past elections and were examined, eight were not citizens.
The restoration comes as Arizona approaches the final deadline to request early ballots. The attorney general’s office said it will continue enforcing state voting laws and protecting eligible voters’ rights.