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Arizona Voter Registration Settlement Could Affect State Election Turnout

Montserrat Arredondo
Matthew Casey/KJZZ
Montserrat Arredondo, interim director of One Arizona.

A coalition of activist groups called One Arizona has a goal to register 200,000 Arizonans to cast ballots in November, and the recent settlement of a voter registration lawsuit will affect those efforts.

MORE: Arizona Settles Voter Registration Lawsuit

The settlement means One Arizona will no longer have to turn away potential voters without a driver's license or identification. But it also means having to take more time to explain that if someone's citizenship isn’t verified through state records, they’ll only be able to vote in federal elections, said Montserrat Arredondo, interim director of One Arizona.

“And it will be quite an interesting script that we will need to develop to prepare our volunteers and the folks that work in our organizations to be able to talk about just state, talk about federal, and help someone navigate that,” Arredondo said.

State campaigns like #RedForEd have captured people’s attention, Arredondo said. She expects not being able to vote on the measure, or for governor, will affect turnout.

“Although [the settlement] is a step forward, we’re still leaving folks out that could, and want to participate this year, in our state elections,“ Arredondo said.

Matthew Casey has won Edward R. Murrow awards for hard news and sports reporting since he joined KJZZ as a senior field correspondent in 2015.