Election integrity continues to be one of the most fundamental pillars of our democratic republic. While partisan debates rage about the best methods to secure our elections, Americans across the political spectrum understand that only citizens should participate in selecting our representatives.

The foundation of our electoral system depends on accurate voter rolls that distinguish between those legally eligible to cast ballots and those who are not. States have long sought to implement common-sense measures to verify voter eligibility. And really, what honest person could object to making sure voters are actually citizens?

For years, many states have struggled to enforce basic citizenship verification for voter registration despite clear laws on the books. Make no mistake, their failure wasn’t accidental. Instead, it was intentional neglect.

In a major victory for election integrity, all 15 Arizona counties have now begun the process of verifying and removing noncitizens from their voter rolls. This includes nearly 50,000 registrants who failed to provide proof of U.S. citizenship as required by state law.

Yes, you read that right – fifty thousand potential noncitizens on the voter rolls!

From ‘Fox News’:

“This settlement is a great result for all Arizonans,” America First Legal (AFL) senior counsel James Rogers told Fox News Digital after his organization’s successful lawsuit spearheaded the process in Arizona.

The sweeping action comes after America First Legal filed a lawsuit against all 15 Arizona counties last year on behalf of EZAZ.org and Yvonne Cahill, a registered voter and naturalized citizen. The suit argued that counties had neglected to follow state law requiring proof of citizenship to vote in local and state elections and mandating monthly checks of the rolls for noncitizens.

I can’t help but wonder – if conservatives hadn’t taken legal action, would these counties have ever enforced their own laws?

Arizona’s Legal Battle for Election Integrity

Under Arizona law, residents must provide documentary proof of citizenship to vote in state and local elections. This requirement represents a stronger standard than federal registration, which only requires registrants to check a box affirming their U.S. citizenship.

Seriously, a checkbox? That’s the level of security the federal government thinks is sufficient for our sacred right to vote. It’s like putting a “Please Don’t Enter” sign on your front door and calling it home security.

The distinction created a category of “federal-only voters” in Arizona. These are individuals who registered without providing citizenship documentation and were therefore restricted to voting only in federal elections. The lawsuit revealed that county officials were failing to properly verify the citizenship status of these registrants. This potentially allowed noncitizens to remain on voter rolls.

This disconnect between federal minimum standards and state verification requirements exemplifies the ongoing tension between federal election guidelines and states’ constitutional authority to manage their own electoral processes. The 2013 Supreme Court ruling that limited states’ ability to impose additional requirements for federal elections created the very loophole that Arizona’s verification system aims to address.

Thousands of Unverified Voters Under Review

The scale of the problem is significant – nearly 50,000 individuals registered to vote in Arizona without providing proper citizenship documentation. These registrants were placed on the “federal-only” list, but counties allegedly failed to perform the required monthly verification checks that would either confirm their citizenship or remove them from the rolls.

Now, all 15 counties are coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security to verify the citizenship status of these registrants. Those confirmed as citizens will be moved to the regular voter rolls with full voting privileges, while noncitizens will have their registrations canceled entirely.

“This will help County Recorders find and remove any aliens on their voter rolls,” Rogers said. “It will also potentially enfranchise federal-only voters whose citizenship is confirmed, which would allow them to vote in state and local elections.”

And yet, watch how the mainstream media spins this common-sense action as some kind of voter suppression. They’ll conveniently ignore that this process actually helps legitimate citizens gain full voting rights while ensuring our elections remain secure.

Securing the Ballot Box for All Americans

The verification effort in Arizona represents a model of how states can enforce existing laws to ensure election integrity. It demonstrates that common-sense measures to verify voter eligibility can be implemented without improperly restricting legitimate voters’ rights.

While the left often portrays voter roll maintenance as “voter suppression,” the Arizona process actually helps properly documented citizens gain full voting privileges by confirming their status. This balanced approach upholds both election security and voting rights. Indeed, it ensures that every legal vote counts while preventing improper participation.

The successful lawsuit by America First Legal highlights how legal advocacy can enforce existing election laws that might otherwise go ignored. It serves as a reminder that vigilance is required to ensure that election administrators follow laws as written, rather than selectively enforcing provisions based on political considerations.

For American citizens concerned about election integrity, the Arizona case provides a roadmap for action. When states have laws requiring citizenship verification but fail to implement them properly, legal remedies can compel compliance with existing statutes.

As the nation prepares for future elections, the lessons from Arizona should resonate beyond state borders. Every state has both the right and responsibility to ensure that only eligible citizens participate in our democratic process. Clean voter rolls form the foundation of election integrity – a principle that transcends partisan politics and upholds the core values of our constitutional republic.

I firmly believe this is just the beginning. Americans are waking up to the importance of election security, and we’re not going to sit quietly while basic verification measures are ignored. If it takes lawsuits in all 50 states to ensure only citizens vote in our elections, so be it.

Key Takeaways

• All 15 Arizona counties are now verifying citizenship status of nearly 50,000 unverified voter registrations following a conservative legal victory.
• Counties had been neglecting their legal duty to perform monthly citizenship verification checks mandated by state law.
• The verification process both removes noncitizens from voter rolls and grants full voting privileges to those confirmed as citizens.
• This legal victory establishes a model for other states to enforce existing election integrity laws through targeted litigation.

Source: Fox News