A local election official in Maricopa County, Arizona, asked state Attorney General Mark Brnovich to investigate after voter registration records were uploaded to the internet, calling it a “potentially illegal” data leak.
The voter registration records, known as the “voter file,” were reportedly “posted on the internet as well as being sent to unauthorized individuals,” Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said. The voter file, which includes some phone numbers, names, addresses, and party affiliations of registered voters, is available to the public, but uploading it online is punishable by felony charges. While the voter file shows whether a person has voted in recent elections, it does not show the candidates and issues voters supported.
“It appears that in this case, information from a public records request may have been posted in violation of state law,” Richer said in a statement on Thursday. “I trust the Attorney General will look into this and take any necessary action.”
ARIZONA 2020 ELECTION AUDIT REPORT DUE FOR PUBLIC RELEASE SEPT. 24
.@stephen_richer referred the illegal posting of county voter files online to the @GeneralBrnovich election integrity unit. pic.twitter.com/VD28rJnRH7
— The AZ – abc15 – Data Guru (@Garrett_Archer) September 16, 2021
The allegations by Richer come as the Republican-led state Senate is preparing to unveil its long-awaited audit report of the 2020 general election in Arizona’s most populous county, which saw teams of auditors counting 2.1 million ballots and examining voter equipment over the summer. State Senate President Karen Fann spearheaded efforts to subpoena such materials from Maricopa County officials earlier this year.
Richer did not name any groups responsible for the alleged violation, but a list of voters remained accessible on Thursday on a webpage hosting content in support of Republican Party ideals, according to the Arizona Republic.
Although Richer and Brnovich are both Republicans, Richer has criticized some proponents of the audit, such as former President Donald Trump, who alleged the county deleted voter databases, a claim Richer called “readily falsifiable.”
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Brnovich, who is investigating the county, has threatened members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to comply with the state Senate’s additional subpoenas, saying if they don’t, they could lose up to $700 million of the county’s funding.
The Washington Examiner contacted Richer and Brnovich but did not immediately receive a response.
