Arizona Counties Reaching Out To Unregistered Voters Before Election

By Jimmy Jenkins
Published: Thursday, September 13, 2018 - 4:52pm
Updated: Thursday, September 13, 2018 - 7:27pm

Arizona counties are reaching out to unregistered voters before the Nov. 6 election to encourage more participation and improve voter records.

In January, Arizona joined a multi-state program known as the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, a nonprofit agency whose goal is to improve voter roll accuracy.

As a part of the campaign, Arizona county recorders are sending out mailers to more than 1 million people in September, urging them to register.

Recorder Adrian Fontes says Maricopa County mailed out 885,000 postcards at a cost of more than $100,000.

“Of that 885,000 we’re hoping that we’re going to get a minimum of 10 percent of those folks who are eligible, but unregistered, to actually register,” Fontes said.

Fontes said more accurate voter rolls will ultimately lead to savings for the county.

"We looked at the amount of money that we spend on printing and postage and processing for folks who have either moved away or passed away or are no longer eligible to vote, and we said, 'this is something that's going to save us money.'"

Fontes said he has high expectations for the program because of what's happened in other ERIC states. "This is program that we hope will continue on into the future and as more states join, we will be getting better and better information."

If a Maricopa County citizen believes they have received one of the postcards in error, Fontes says they can contact the Recorder's office to make sure their information is accurate.

Eligible voters have until Oct. 9 at midnight to register.

Politics