Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona Incorporated et al. v. Stephen Richer et al.

Problem:

On behalf of its clients, America First Legal (AFL) demanded all fifteen Arizona counties take immediate action to prevent illegal aliens from voting and warned of legal action if the counties failed to comply. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer responded through his attorney that he would take no action and insisted his office was compliant with the law.

This is false, as the number of voters without confirmed citizenship is rising under his watch, and his office has not accessed the necessary databases to verify voter citizenship. Arizona officials are legally bound to remove foreign nationals from voter rolls and utilize federal databases for verification. Two federal statutes, (8 U.S.C. § 1373 (c) and 8 U.S.C. § 1644, have been in effect for nearly thirty years and permit state and local officials to check citizenship status. Unfortunately, Recorder Richer stubbornly refuses to use these resources. AFL’s lawsuit aims to force Maricopa County to meet its legal obligations.