The AZ Attorney General’s Office has commanded Maricopa County officials to deliver a report on their botched managing of the Nov. 8 election, which resulted in Democratic candidate for governor Katie Hobbs’ apparent win over GOP Kari Lake, stating that answers are required before the election can be certified.
In a letter from Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office, a top official claimed evidence of “statutory infractions” in the election, in which Hobbs, as secretary of state, overcame massive deficits in the polls. There were widespread voting machine breakdowns in conservative regions of the state’s most populated county, which turned into a national joke when it took over a week to count votes.
“These complaints go much further than mere speculation, and include first-hand eyewitness reports that raise concerns about Maricopa’s legitimate compliance with Arizona electoral law,” Assistant AG Jennifer Wright wrote in a letter sent to the county’s leading civil division attorney, Thomas Liddy, on Saturday.
Wright requested a comprehensive report on how tabulator and printer issues at about 60 Maricopa voting stations on Election Day were rectified, as well as a printout of each voting site’s Official Ballot Report, along with any discrepancies and reasons. The machines were examined the day before the election, and no abnormalities were discovered, according to Wright’s letter.
Lake, who was leading in several surveys by double digits before the election, has expressed doubts about the election’s integrity, saying, “Arizonans recognize B.S. when they see it.” Her team has been collecting and tweeting statements from voters who claim they were refused entry when they attempted to vote, that their ballots were declared faulty, or that their votes were incorrectly processed.
Wright’s letter mentions possible legal infractions in the manner poll workers handled votes that couldn’t be inserted into tabulators. According to widespread accounts, the ballots were kept separate and without sufficient protection.
“In segregating, tallying, counting, tabulating, and transporting the ‘Door 3’ votes, Maricopa County seems to have failed to conform to the statutory guidelines,” Wright ruled. “In reality, Maricopa County has confirmed that at some voting centers, ‘Door 3’ non-tabulated votes were mixed in with tabulated ballots.”
Wright quoted a sworn declaration from one election witness who said that non-tabulated ballots were put in duffel bags and perhaps mixed with tabulated ballots.
The state has not yet formally declared a winner, however this is expected to happen early next month. The report, according to Wright, must be provided before results of the election can be properly validated.
“Arizonans deserve a complete report and accounting of the various flaws associated with Maricopa County’s management of the 2022 General Election,” Wright stated in the letter. “Because the canvass is rapidly approaching, and these issues concern Maricopa County’s ability to legitimately certify results of the election, the Unit demands an answer to the aforementioned issues on or prior to Maricopa County submitting its official canvass to the Sec. of State, which must take place on or before Nov. 28, 2022.”
