League Stands Up for Arizona Voters in Court

Secretary Regan Violates NVRA with Illegal Voter Purges

Phoenix, Arizona – Wednesday a Judge will hear testimony from the League of Women Voters in LWVAZ, Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, Promise Arizona vs Michele Reagan, a case filed last month against Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan for violating the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). In Arizona, the Secretary of State’s office failed to update voter registration addresses provided by the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD).

“There are thousands of Arizonans who updated their address at the MVD and think they are registered to vote this year, but due to the lack of action by Secretary Reagan’s office, they are no longer in the system,” said Robyn Prud'homme-Bauer, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Arizona.

The League of Women Voters sent Secretary Regan a letter nine months ago notifying her that this voter purging practice was in violation of the ‘Motor Voter’ section of the NVRA, that when a voter changes their driver’s license, their voter registration is updated automatically, unless they opt out.

“When Secretary Regan never responded to our letter, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of Arizona voters to ensure they will not be turned away this November when they show up to exercise their right to vote,” said Prud'homme-Bauer.

On a related issue addressed in the original letter, last week public agencies sent out close to 275,000 voter registration mailings statewide. The mailing includes voter registration application that must be received by election officials by Oct. 9, 2018. These mailings were directed to voters in the state, seeking services from these agencies.

“The League wants to ensure all eligible voters have the opportunity to have their voices heard in this upcoming midterm election. Unfortunately, Secretary Regan’s action will have the opposite effect—making it harder for Arizonans, particularly Latino and American Indian voters, to cast their ballots,” said Virginia Kase, CEO of the League of Women Voters of the United States. “We are urging anyone who has recently moved or changed information on their driver’s license to confirm their voter registration.”

You can check your voter registration status by contacting your county’s election department or go to AZCleanElections.gov.

Mi Familia Vota and Promise Arizona are also plaintiffs in this case represented by attorneys from the ACLU, the ACLU of Arizona, Demos, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan nonprofit working to empower voters and defend democracy.

Contact: Sarah Courtney | 202-263-1332 | [email protected]