Just four days before Election Day, DOJ probes Arizona voter registrations
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Summary
The Justice Department is investigating the Arizona voter registration efforts of three Democratic-aligned groups after an "undercover" video purported to show volunteers willing to register non-citizens. Why it matters: The Friday announcement comes four days before the Nov. 3 election, and nearly a month after Arizona's registration deadline passed, timing one Republican former elections official says could sow unnecessary doubt about the results. Driving the news: In a news release , the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona announced it has "opened a case into recent reporting about three non-profit organizations registering non-citizens to vote in Arizona." The groups are nonprofits Worker Power and Stand Indivisible AZ, as well as When We Count, a voter-registration program of the Democratic National Committee. DNC spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández wrote to Axios, "We are not aware of any instances of our fellows … registering a noncitizen to vote." He called the allegations "fabricated" and "inspired by right-wing operatives." The other two groups did not immediately respond. State of play: The "recent reporting" appears to reference an Oct. 22 video by Muckraker , a right-wing media outlet with a marred past . The video shows a man posing as a felon or noncitizen and asking if he can register to vote. The U.S. attorney's office has "already referred the matter to the FBI," per the announcement. Between the lines: In letters to both Republican Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap and Democratic Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, Courchaine wrote that it "appears these organizations … may have violated" a state law about knowingly registering ineligible persons. However, the video does not show them registering anyone, only discussing it. U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine asked both men for "a review of registrations submitted by these groups to ensure only United States Citizens were registered to vote." The U.S. Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to questions from Axios about what additional evidence, if any, it has against the groups. The big picture: The Arizona probe comes as the Justice Department has begun waging election legal challenges across the nation. The DOJ has sued 30 states and D.C. seeking detailed voter registration records and has lost in every case decided so far. Separately, a federal appeals court rejected Friday its bid to set aside mail ballots from 20,000 California voters, saying the department's claims it suspects them of being noncitizens was "not credible." And in Alaska, federal prosecutors confirmed Friday a criminal investigation involving a Senate candidate sharing the name of Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. The DOJ is also seeking to segregate ballots there. The intrigue: The letters to the recorder and secretary of state are almost identical, except for one subtle difference. The letter to Heap , a Republican ally of President Trump, concludes with "I know you are dedicated to securing Arizona's elections." The one to Fontes , a Democrat critical of Trump, instead says, "I trust that you are dedicated." Reality check: Former Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell, a Republican, questions the timing of the announcement, warning it could mislead voters. Voter registration closed weeks ago, and elections officials have little time to review registrations. She also says that registrations would be checked for eligibility and the chance of an ineligible person receiving a ballot is low. What they're saying: "It just seems like we keep seeing these little steps to confuse people," Purcell says. Flashback: Arizona has been at the center of election-fraud conspiracy theories since President Trump's 2020 defeat, including a Republican-commissioned review of Maricopa County ballots by the firm Cyber Ninjas. The widely criticized review ultimately confirmed Joe Biden's victory. Heap won his office in 2024 backed by election-deniers, and just last week, he settled a lawsuit involving U.S. citizens whom his office had barred from voting, despite a county attorney's investigation confirming their citizenship. What we're watching: It's unclear whether Heap or Fontes will review the registrations as requested. Neither immediately responded to Axios' questions.
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