Hey, Arizona!

Remember Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap’s claim that he found potential noncitizens on the county’s voter roll?

Specifically, he said he found 137 noncitizens while attempting to confirm the citizenship status of 61,681 voters impacted by a longstanding state coding error by running them through a digital system maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. But, as I reported at the time, that number may be inflated because the database is unreliable.

Well, we’re about to find out whether those folks are truly noncitizens or eligible voters.

In March, Heap sent information about the voters — plus an extra 70 people — to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Then, last week, he also sent those names to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Now, both local and state prosecutors are investigating.

Their findings will be critical. Heap says at least 60 of the voters cast a ballot in prior elections. If they are noncitizens, that means criminal charges are likely incoming — and those will add fuel to longstanding conspiracies of stolen elections, even though the voters cumulatively represent a miniscule fraction of the county’s total registrants.

If they’re eligible voters, that raises a lot of questions around what happens next. Heap previously said that he intended to change the registration status of the voters under a process in the state’s election rulebook that applies to new registrants suspected of being noncitizens. The process requires him to place the voters under “not eligible” status and then send them notices.

But state prosecutors say he should be following the requirements in a separate state law that lays out how to handle potential noncitizens who are already on the voter rolls. That process requires him to send suspected noncitizens notices requesting that they prove their citizenship within 35 days. If they don’t provide the necessary documents, the statute directs him to then cancel their registration and refer them for further investigation.

All of that suggests that any changes to these voters’ registration status could end up in court — particularly if they were, in fact, citizens.

That’s it for this week — but I’ll be back in your inbox soon. Tell a friend to sign up here so they don’t miss out.

In the meantime, let me know what I should look into next. You can reach me anytime at [email protected].

On the Lighter Side

Does voting make you feel alive?

Well, you might be onto something. A new study suggests that casting a ballot is linked to a longer life. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University found older voters had a 45% lower mortality risk five years after voting than nonvoters, after controlling for factors like income.

To be clear, the study did not conclude that voting itself caused people to live longer. But it appears that it may be linked to other traits — perhaps including community involvement and connection — that help folks stick around for a while.

The best part? The findings were consistent across the political spectrum. So, be sure to get out there and vote this year!

The Big Story

Exclusive: Justin Heap refers alleged noncitizen voters to AG’s office after strongly worded letters

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap needed to refer potential noncitizens registered to vote for further investigation.