GOP Head Wants 500,000 Voters Removed From Register

Leading Arizona Republicans want to remove from the state voting register 500,000 people they claim are dead or have moved.

Arizona Republican Party head Gina Swoboda, Scot Mussi, president of the Republican-aligned Free Enterprise Club, and Steven Gaynor, a Republican who previously ran for office in the state, have filed a lawsuit with U.S. District Court Judge Eileen Willett to order Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to intervene under what they say are breaches of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).

The lawsuit claims 14/15 counties in Arizona have “implausibly high” voter registration levels and calls on Fontes to “develop and implement additional reasonable and effective registration list-maintenance programs.”

It also claims that there are more registered voters than there are residents in the state.

“I Voted” stickers ahead of the 2024 Primary and General elections in Phoenix. The head of the Arizona GOP said there are at least 500,000 people registered to vote in the state who have died… PHOTO BY PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP) (PHOTO BY PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

“Because the secretary does not maintain accurate voter rolls, ineligible voters have an opportunity to vote in Arizona elections, risking the dilution of plaintiffs’ legitimate votes,” the lawsuit states, according to local press.

Attorney Andrew Gould told local media: “Based on even the most conservative data sources, Arizona has at least 500,000 registered voters on the voter rolls who should have otherwise been removed,” he said.

Greg Blackie, deputy director of policy for the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, told Newsweek: “Maintaining accurate voter registration lists containing only eligible voters is the starting point for elections run with integrity. We sent a prelitigation notice to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes last August highlighting absurdly high voter registration rates, demanding he fulfill his obligation under the NVRA by removing ineligible voters.

“Since then, four Arizona counties continue to have more registered voters than residents of voting age population, according to the most recent US census data, and the remaining 11 have rates that far exceed the national average. It is clear that Fontes is failing to do his job, and we hope our lawsuit will ensure he comes into compliance with federal law.”

Newsweek contacted representatives for the Arizona Republican Party by email to comment on this story. Newsweek was unable to find contact details for Gaynor and Fontes for additional comment. Fontes did not provide comment to local outlets reporting on this story. A hearing date is yet to be set for the lawsuit.

The lawsuit comes after Arizona enacted changes to its voting laws requiring proof of citizenship to vote in elections. In March, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton ruled the change, which would require counties to verify the states of voters without proof of U.S. citizenship, were not discriminatory following legal challenges.

Arizona is not the only state vying to enact changes to its voter roll ahead of the 2024 election.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has instructed all county boards of elections to begin reviewing registrations of inactive voters that could be canceled, local publication The Columbus Dispatch first reported. The policy was likened to a “purge” by voters’ rights groups when it was reported.

Voter registration is crucial as voters will go to the polls on November 5 to make their choice in the general election. Each state has a different deadline to register.

Update 06/06/24, 6:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Greg Blackie of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club.