Two Republican counties in Arizona are refusing to immediately certify the state’s midterm election results, citing an Election Day meltdown in Arizona’s largest county that has led to outrage and accusations that Republican voters were disenfranchised.
Mohave County became the second county in the state to delay canvassing Monday in “solidarity” with voters angered by the chaotic mismanagement of Maricopa County officials, AP reported.
Arizona counties refuse to certify
Some 30 percent of voting centers in Maricopa County had problems with casting ballots on Election Day, when Republicans tend to vote, leading to speculation of malicious interference.
Mohave County on Monday voted to delay its certification, citing the problems in Maricopa County.
“This is 2020 redux,” election board member Hildy Angius said. “If we don’t certify today, we’re just making a statement of solidarity.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has refused to concede a close race to Democrat Katie Hobbs, citing the voting issues, and the state’s attorney general has asked Maricopa officials for an explanation of what went wrong before canvassing occurs on November 28.
“Arizonans deserve a full report and accounting of the myriad problems that occurred in relation to Maricopa County administration of the 2022 general election,” Jennifer Wright, of the state’s Election Integrity Unit, wrote.
Nothing to see here!
Cochise County has also voted to delay canvassing, citing claims that Arizona’s voting machines weren’t certified.
The state’s Election Director Kori Lorick has disputed the allegations, while warning that the GOP county’s votes won’t be counted if they don’t certify by December 5. Lorick has also threatened to sue the county.
The national press, which has long sided with Maricopa County in its feud with local Republicans over the integrity of the 2020 presidential election, has pushed a narrative from local officials asserting that no voters have been disenfranchised.
Maricopa officials say that voters forced to wait in line for hours had other options, like going to different polling sites or storing their ballots in a special box to be counted elsewhere.
Supervisor Bill Gates has said officials will perform a “deep dive” to ensure this year’s Election Day disaster never happens again, but he insists there is “absolutely no basis” to allege any malfeasance occurred.