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FACT BRIEF

Did a deceased Arizona resident ‘vote’ for Joe Biden in 2020?

By Carmela Guaglianone
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NO

A deceased Pima County resident did not have a ballot cast in their name in Arizona’s 2020 election. The resident died in 2019, and was listed as deceased on the vote rolls that year. The Pima County Recorder’s Office confirmed in an email that the resident last voted in 2018.

In Arizona, County Recorders’ offices are primarily responsible for voter roll maintenance and must follow state procedures, including those outlined in the Arizona Election Procedures Manual.

Staff of the Pima County Recorder compare voter rolls with a monthly list of deceased people from the Arizona Department of Health Services and cancel registrations of any matches. Staff also compare a list from the Electronic Registration Information Center with deaths from the Social Security Administration, look at obituaries published in local papers and field calls from family members of voters who have died.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Pima County Recorder’s Office Voter Registration List Maintenance Overview
Pima County Recorder’s Office Voter Record Inquiry Email Response
Arizona Secretary of State Voter Registration List Maintenance
Legacy.com Mike A. Gerkin Obituary
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Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.