The November 4, 2025 election is fast-approaching. As you may know, Arizona law clearly states that voters who were registered prior to the proof of citizenship law going into effect on January 24, 2005, do not need to prove their citizenship unless they move to a new county. This is known as the “safe harbor” provision. Nevertheless, election officials and voters have received different information as to whether voters must provide proof of citizenship when they update their voter registration record using the Arizona voter registration form (for example, for a name or address change) but have not moved to a new county.
County officials are taking different approaches if the voter updating their registration fails to prove their citizenship, including suspending voters’ registration. On September 8, 2025, Votebeat Arizona reported that Pinal County requires any voter who uses Arizona’s voter registration form to update their voter registration within Pinal County to provide evidence of citizenship. If the voter fails to do so, the Pinal County Recorder will suspend the voter’s registration until they prove their citizenship. On October 22, Votebeat Arizona reported that Pinal County has suspended upwards of 1,100 voter registrations as a result of this practice.
We have serious concerns that Pinal County—and possibly other counties—may be violating the safe harbor provision in Arizona’s proof of citizenship law. Arizona voter registration forms are used all the time, not just for new registrations, but for routine updates to residence addresses and names. So, voters who are exempt from the proof of citizenship requirement and who use the Arizona voter registration form to merely update their residence address within the same county or change their name do not lose their exemption and do not need to prove their citizenship. The only exception to this requirement applies to voters who move to another county and must, therefore, change their registration to that new county.
CALL TO ACTION!
First, check your voter registration status by visiting the Secretary of State’s Arizona Voter Information Portal or by calling your County Recorder’s office. If you believe you are exempt from Arizona’s proof of citizenship requirement because you have been continuously registered in your county since before January 24, 2005, and have never moved to a new county, you may be at risk. If you think your registration has been improperly suspended or improperly switched to “federal-only,” we want to hear from you!
Second, if you answer “Yes” to all of the following, we want to hear from you!
- Were you registered to vote on or before January 24, 2005?
- Have you stayed within your county of registration?
- Have you made or do you anticipate making any update to your voter registration, such as a name or residence address change within your county?
- Did you use the Arizona voter registration form to make the update?
- To complete your voter registration update, were you asked to provide proof of citizenship along with the form?
- Were you unable to provide proof of citizenship?
- Was your registration status suspended or switched to “federal-only”?
DRAZ is committed to ensuring that every eligible voter can cast a ballot! Please contact Attorneys Jon Sherman (jsherman@fairelectionscenter.org) or Nina Beck (nbeck@fairelectionscenter.org) at Fair Elections Center if you or someone you know has been negatively impacted.
