Elon Musk, other conservatives say Arizona is awash in illegal voters. That isn't true
Elon Musk, the billionaire business magnate who owns the social media site X, believes Arizona is awash in illegal, noncitizen voters.
It's a message the world's richest man has recently been blasting out often to his massive social media following — and he isn't alone. Republican state lawmakers, conservative groups and others have voiced concerns about illegal voting and how it could sway the election in the key battleground state.
"Arizona requires proof of citizenship to vote in state elections, but explicitly does not for federal elections," Musk said in July on X. "This is messed up."
There's just one problem with those claims: Evidence overwhelmingly shows that noncitizen voting is rare.
Here's what to know about Arizona's voter registration laws.
What did Musk say, and what prompted his concerns?
Musk's comments come years after former President Donald Trump and his allies made false claims of voting fraud in swing states during the 2020 presidential race, spurring a wave of election denialism across the nation.
Musk has long cultivated a relationship with Trump, who still denies the results of his prior presidential contest and recently echoed baseless allegations that noncitizen voting could sway the upcoming election. Musk also has donated tens of millions of dollars to America PAC, a pro-Trump political action committee.
Why is Arizona a focal point for election conspiracies?
Meanwhile, Arizona has become an epicenter for voting conspiracies — and legal challenges spurred by false election claims.
America First Legal, a Trump-aligned law firm, recently filed a revised version of a lawsuit that seeks to force county election officials to take extra steps to verify the citizenship status of thousands of Arizona voters. It is part of a larger battle raging in the desert over voter registration laws.
In response to the suit, Musk asked on X: "Arizona is refusing to remove illegals from voter rolls?"
A day later, Musk shared another announcement about the lawsuit, adding: "They are refusing to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls."
Do you have to be a citizen to vote in Arizona?
Yes, you must be a citizen to vote in U.S. elections.
Nationwide, registration forms generally require voters to attest that they are American citizens. Voters do so under the penalty of perjury, meaning they can be held criminally liable if they are found to have provided false information.
But Arizona also requires voters to hand over a birth certificate, a passport or one of a handful of other documents proving their citizenship.
Of the state's 4.1 million registered voters, about 42,000 haven't provided that proof, creating a unique, two-track system. Federal courts have repeatedly ruled that state lawmakers can block voters who have not shown citizenship documents from participating in state and local races, but must allow so-called "federal-only voters" to cast ballots in federal contests. That includes the upcoming presidential race, U.S. Senate contest and congressional matchups.
Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court said those registering to vote without proof of citizenship could only do so using a federal form, and that those using an Arizona-specific voter registration form could be rejected.
The decision limits — but does not entirely eliminate — Arizonans' ability to register to vote without providing proof of citizenship.
How do Arizona's voter registration laws compare to other states?
Arizona is the only state in the country that requires voters to provide documents proving their citizenship while registering to cast a ballot.
If federal-only voters register without proving citizenship, how do we know they are citizens?
Federal-only voters don't provide proof of citizenship with their registration forms — but they still go through other standard checks.
State law mandates that county recorders "use all available resources to verify the citizenship status" of those registering to vote. This includes checking the citizenship status of federal-only voters against an immigration status verification service provided by the Department of Homeland Security when practicable. That system requires specific identification numbers that county officials don't have for every federal-only voter.
Voter rolls are also routinely checked with information from the U.S. Social Security Administration, the U.S. Postal Service, the Arizona Department of Health Services, the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Maricopa County Jury Commissioner’s Office.
If another government agency tells election officials that a person registered to vote is a noncitizen, the person is removed from the voter list.
Studies have repeatedly shown that voter fraud is very rare. Noncitizens who attempt to vote risk fines and prison time. They also could risk deportation if they are in the country illegally, or impeding their naturalization process if they are applying for citizenship.
Who are federal-only voters?
A recent Votebeat analysis found that federal-only voters are disproportionately young people on college campuses who are without access to their citizenship documents.
Tribal voters and people who have changed their name also commonly lack access to proof of citizenship.
Until recently, birth certificates were often not issued to people born on reservations. Native American voters can use tribal identification cards to prove citizenship, but not every tribe provides them. Some of those that do charge for them.
Voters must provide additional legal documentation to prove their identity while signing up to cast ballots if their name doesn't match the one on their birth certificate. This often applies to women who married and took their husband's last name. A 2006 survey from the Brennan Center showed less than half of all female respondents with ready access to their birth certificates had one with their current legal name.
Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps. Sign up for her weekly election newsletter, Republic Recount.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Elon Musk says noncitizens are voting in Arizona. That isn't true