PHOENIX, Ariz. (KNXV) — Thousands of Maricopa County voters have received letters questioning whether they still live at the address on their voter registration, and some of those voters told ABC15 they have not moved.
Frank Czyzewski said he has lived at the same address for a decade. But a letter from the Maricopa County Recorder's Office said he "may no longer reside" at the address on his voter registration, or that his address is "no longer valid."
"I was baffled!" Czyzewski said.
When asked whether his driver's license and voter registration information were identical, Czyzewski said everything was "perfect."
With the November election months away, he wanted to make sure the letter would not affect his eligibility to vote.
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"I'm concerned about how many other letters people received at this time," said Czyzewski, who is also a poll worker. "Everyone's questioning the election formality and stuff like that, so I contacted you and wanted you to investigate it further."
Election officials said a new law requires monthly comparisons of driver's licenses and voter registrations to prevent mail-in ballots from going to the wrong addresses.
Approximately 150,000 letters have been mailed to Maricopa County voters since late July, according to the recorder's office.
Even a small inconsistency, such as spelling out "street" or abbreviating the word, could trigger a mismatch, according to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office. ABC15 did notice a minor difference in how Czyzewski's apartment number was listed on his voter card and driver's license.
A Maricopa County Recorder's Office spokeswoman said the letters do not affect voters' eligibility or cancel their registrations. She also said the process to remove someone from the mail-in ballot list would only begin if a letter was returned as 'undeliverable,' and the process includes additional outreach to the voter.
"I'm glad I wrote you, and I'm glad the public will be more at ease and give us more confidence in voting," Czyzewski told ABC15.
County and state election officials said they are working on enhancements to improve the process and eliminate duplicate mailings and false positives. They said if the address in the letter is correct, no response is required, the voter registration remains active, and any ballot requests, including mail-in ballots, will be fulfilled as normal.
Maricopa County voters can check their registration status before an election to ensure their residential and mailing address information is current. Voters can do so at BeBallotReady.vote.
Got a News Tip? You can reach ABC15 Senior Investigator Melissa Blasius by email at melissa.blasius@abc15.com or call 602-803-2506. Follow her on X @MelissaBlasius, Instagram, and Facebook.
