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Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025

Did an Arizona senator say that she supported noncitizen participation in elections?

Carmela Guaglianone, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
no

Arizona Sen. Priya Sundareshan did not state that she supports noncitizen participation in elections. The Democrat said she believes state population counts should include all residents, regardless of citizenship status—an approach in line with U.S. Census procedures. 

Sundareshan’s comments came in response to a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution, which seeks to establish a new, citizen-only state census to inform the state’s redistricting process. Currently, Arizona relies on U.S. Census counts, which include noncitizen residents, to determine the boundaries of  its 30 legislative districts. 

The national Census also informs how many seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

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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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