The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Friday that nearly 100,000 residents can receive full ballots without citizenship proof, swiftly resolving a clerical blunder that questioned whether they could cast votes in elections this November.
The Friday ruling came just days after election officials said they found that roughly 98,000 state residents were registered to vote in local and state elections, but had not provided the proof of citizenship necessary to participate.
The Maricopa County Recorder’s office noticed a computing error that marked these residents eligible to cast votes in Arizona’s state, local and federal elections, without ever presenting citizenship documents.
The state’s highest court ruling presented a win for Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and the Grand Canyon State’s liberal-leaning groups on Friday.
“Today marks a significant victory for those whose fundamental right to vote was under scrutiny,” Fontes said in a statement . “The court faced a stark choice: to allow voters to participate in just a few federal races on a limited ballot, or to make their voices heard across hundreds of decisions on a full ballot that includes a variety of local and state offices.”