The 25 Maricopa County voters at the center of a lawsuit by Arizona's attorney general and secretary of state are back on active status and can vote in the Nov. 3 election, after the two sides settled the case through court-ordered mediation on Friday, according to KJZZ and the Arizona Mirror.
Attorney General Kris Mayes and Adrian Fontes, the secretary of state, sued County Recorder Justin Heap earlier in the week, asking a Superior Court judge to reinstate voters whose citizenship had been confirmed by investigators but who remained blocked from voting. With the voters restored, Mayes agreed to dismiss the complaint.
How the deal came together
At a hearing Friday morning, the judge sent Heap, Mayes and Fontes to mediation to try to resolve the dispute outside the courtroom, the Mirror reported. Heap's attorney told the court the recorder's office had not reinstated the voters because the attorney general's office and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell had not handed over the documents they relied on to confirm citizenship, KJZZ reported.
Kara Karlson of the attorney general's office said in court she was ready to supply the driver's license records her office had used to check the voters.
That afternoon, the parties met with Judge Christopher Whitten, acting as a court-appointed mediator, and settled, both officials said in separate statements.
Why 24, not 25
Heap said his office restored active status for 24 people covered by the suit. The recorder's attorney told the court the remaining person had already been reinstated after providing proof of citizenship directly to the office, KJZZ reported, so all 25 can now vote.
What happens before Nov. 3
Eighteen of the restored voters are enrolled in the county's Active Early Voting List, and the recorder's office said ballots have been issued to them. The window for requesting an early ballot closed Friday; the county wants mailed ballots back by Oct. 27, KJZZ reported.
