How were so many noncitizens able to vote? This study may lead to real change.

From The Washington Times. More than 200 self-acknowledged noncitizens have managed to register to vote in Arizona’s Maricopa County and at least nine of them have cast ballots in federal elections, according to a report that questions the federal law that pushes states to register more voters.

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The study is the first in a series of reports by the Public Interest Legal Foundation to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Motor Voter law, which requires states to allow people to register to vote at their local motor vehicle bureau offices. …

In Maricopa County, which is the fourth most-populous county in the nation and is home to Phoenix, 222 people have alerted officials since 2015 that they were on the rolls but did not hold citizenship. Of those, nine cast ballots in federal elections before acknowledging that they should have been excluded, the foundation said.

“This is just more evidence that there is a problem that is not being adequately addressed,” said J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation and a former lawyer in the Justice Department’s voting rights section.

Motor Voter, officially the National Voter Registration Act, enlisted local officials to get more people to register to vote. It required state motor vehicle bureaus to ask customers whether they wanted to register. …

The problem is that some states have offered registration to everyone — even noncitizens who, under federal law, are not eligible to vote in national elections. …

In North Carolina, voter registration forms were sent to motor vehicle bureaus with the “citizen” box already checked. A 2017 audit found that 41 noncitizens cast ballots in 2016. All of them were legal immigrants. …

The 222 names in Maricopa County are of people who self-reported as noncitizens. Mr. Adams said immigrants seeking citizenship often come forward and acknowledge that they are on the rolls because one of the questions on the naturalization form is whether they ever were illegally registered. Lying on that form can quickly earn deportation. …

Mr. Adams said there is no guessing about how many others haven’t come forward. …

Mr. Adams said part of the problem with the Motor Voter law dates back to its creation when lawmakers debated how to handle voter registration applications with the citizenship box unchecked.

Democrats wanted a blank box to be an attestation of citizenship. Republicans saw it differently. The law was enacted with no resolution on the matter, Mr. Adams said. Blue-leaning states generally interpret it the way Democrats wanted, and red-leaning states see it the way Republicans wanted.

Mr. Adams said Congress should step in and provide clarity by authorizing states to validate citizenship claims. …

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(Excerpt from The Washington Times. Photo Credit: Element5 Digital on Unsplash)