Arizona U.S. Attorney Refers Claims Against Three Voter Registration Groups to FBI, Asks State and Maricopa County for Review
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona has referred allegations that three voter registration groups registered noncitizens to the FBI, and it asked state and county election officials to review the registrations those groups submitted before Tuesday's election.
U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine announced the referral on Friday, Oct. 30, saying his office had "opened a case into recent reporting" about the groups. The release also linked to two letters he sent four days earlier, on Oct. 26, to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap. The Digital Free Press reviewed both letters.
What the Letters Say
The letters name the three groups as Stand Indivisible Arizona, Worker Power and When We Count. They are worded almost identically, with one sent to the state's top election official and the other to the recorder of Arizona's most populous county.
"Based on written and video reports, personnel acting on behalf of the following organizations either intentionally disregarded or were recklessly ignorant of Arizona's law prohibiting the registration of non-citizens in elections," Courchaine wrote.
He added that "based on a cursory review, it appears these organizations and their volunteers or employees may have violated" state law, and he requested "a review of registrations submitted by these groups to ensure only United States Citizens were registered to vote."
The letters do not identify the written or video reports, name any registrant or say how many registrations may be involved. They do not set a deadline for the review. The office's release says the matter has been referred to the FBI "for a thorough federal investigation." No charges have been announced.
The Voter Registration Law Cited
The letters cite Arizona Revised Statutes section 16-182, a state law. It makes it a class 6 felony, Arizona's lowest felony class, to knowingly cause or procure another person's registration "knowing that such other person is not entitled to such registration." The office's release says that conduct would also violate federal law.
The release reminded the public that only U.S. citizens may vote. "If you are a non-citizen, you may not vote in Tuesday's election, even if you have legal authority to be in the country on a visa or as a legal permanent resident," it said.
When We Count is a Democratic National Committee program that uses fellows and volunteers to register voters. A DNC spokesperson told Democracy Docket that the committee is "not aware of any instances of our fellows" registering a noncitizen and called the allegations "fabricated." Arizona's Family reported that Stand Indivisible Arizona describes itself as a nonpartisan, volunteer-driven group based in Scottsdale, and that Worker Power describes itself as a social welfare organization.
The referral comes as the Justice Department presses election officials in several states over voters it says may be noncitizens, actions now being challenged in federal courts in California, Washington State and the District of Columbia.
Sources: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, "District of Arizona Responds to Allegations of Non-Citizen Voter Registration" (Oct. 30, 2026): https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/district-arizona-responds-allegations-non-citizen-voter-registration ; Letter to Maricopa County Recorder (Oct. 26, 2026): https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/media/1469686/dl?inline ; Letter to Secretary of State (Oct. 26, 2026): https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/media/1469691/dl?inline ; Arizona Revised Statutes 16-182: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/16/00182.htm ; Democracy Docket (Oct. 31, 2026): https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/u-s-attorney-accuses-3-arizona-nonprofits-of-knowingly-registering-noncitizens-to-vote/ ; Arizona's Family (Oct. 30, 2026): https://www.azfamily.com/2026/10/31/are-these-arizona-groups-registering-non-citizens-vote-feds-investigating/ . Cover photo: Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse by Gonzo fan2007 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
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