Arizona

Arizona leads nation in proposals to suppress votes, groups say | Laura Gómez/Arizona Mirror

Local and national civic advocacy groups are paying close attention to a laundry list of proposed legislation in Arizona that would make it harder for voters to participate in elections. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, Arizona leads the nation in “proposed voter suppression legislation in 2021.” In a press call Tuesday morning, Stand Up America — a progressive organization working to increase voter participation — echoed this finding. “What is going in Arizona right now is particularly insidious,” said Christina Harvey, managing director of Stand Up America. Harvey said 33 state legislatures have proposals that would make it harder for voters to cast their ballot. States like Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania — all battleground states with Republican legislatures that former President Donald Trump narrowly lost in November — are awash with restrictive voting measures, Harvey said. “Republicans, seeing that they increasingly cannot win free and fair elections, are trying to make it harder to vote for those who may not support them, rather offering a vision of America that might appeal to those voters,” Harvey said. “Arizona, a state Donald Trump lost by only 10,000 votes, leads the nation in the number of proposed voter suppression bills.” Arizona community organizations and voting rights groups have identified approximately 40 bills introduced by Republican lawmakers that would purge eligible voters from early voting lists, make it harder for election officials to send out ballots over the mail, eliminate Arizona’s Permanent Early Voting List, change how Electoral College electors are selected and even allow legislators to overturn election results. “These are extremely dangerous proposals, and even if some of them may not make it out, even though some of them may not pass, they are evidence of a level of fanaticism and megalomania that is very disconcerting,” said Alex Gulotta, state director for All Voting Is Local Action Arizona. “They are designed to let less voices be heard.” 

Full Article: Arizona leads nation in proposals to suppress votes, groups say

Arizona: Months after Biden win, election officials still face threats | Bob Christie/Associated Press

For months, the four elected Republicans and one Democrat on the board overseeing Arizona’s most populous county have been facing threats and harassment for backing election results that saw Democrat Joe Biden win in the state. That fury from some supporters of former President Donald Trump moved on this week to a GOP state senator, who had to change his phone number, flee his house with his wife and young son and get police protection. The focus on Sen. Paul Boyer came after he was the lone Republican who voted against a measure to subject the GOP-dominated Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to arrest for refusing to honor a Senate subpoena. It required the county to hand over ballots and vote-counting machines to the Senate so they could triple-check the results. County supervisor Clint Hickman, a Republican who has endured protests outside his house and graphic threats of violence since after the November election, has held his tongue. But with the new attacks on Boyer, he says he’s had enough. “I’m talking now because they’re doing it to a state senator who had no idea what he was probably stepping into,” Hickman said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday. Hickman described hateful and vicious threatening messages he’s received, a phalanx of 90 people protesting within 15 feet of his home’s front door and continuous attacks that have left his family fearful. All were from Trump supporters who questioned election results that saw a Democrat win Arizona for the first time since 1996.

Full Article: Months after Biden win, Arizona officials still face threats

Arizona GOP bill changes voting privacy | Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services

Facing defeats in court, Republican lawmakers are moving to change the law — retroactively — in a bid to eventually get their hands on voting equipment and ballots, even if it takes months. Senate Bill 1408 would spell out in statute that county election equipment, systems, records and other information “may not be deemed privileged information, confidential information or other information protected from disclosure.” More to the point, the measure approved Thursday on a party-line 5-3 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee declares this information is “subject to subpoena and must be produced.” And it empowers judge to compel production of the materials and records. Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, who chairs the panel, made it clear the legislation has one purpose: to force the hand of Maricopa County officials who have so far refused to comply with a subpoena the Senate has issued. They have produced various records. But supervisors contend the county is precluded from surrendering access to voting machines and the actual ballots to senators or the auditors they hope to hire. And so far the Senate’s efforts to get a court ruling compelling disclosure have faltered.

Full Article: GOP bill changes voting privacy | Your Valley

Arizona Senate panel OKs bill requiring counties to disclose information on voting machines, systems | Howard Fischer/Arizona Daily Star

Facing defeats in court, Republican lawmakers are moving to change the law — retroactively — in a bid to eventually get their hands on voting equipment and ballots, even if it takes months. SB 1408 would spell out in statute that county election equipment, systems, records and other information “may not be deemed privileged information, confidential information or other information protected from disclosure.” The measure approved Thursday on a party-line 5-3 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee declares that this information is “subject to subpoena and must be produced.” And it empowers judges to compel production of the materials and records. Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, who chairs the panel, made it clear the legislation has one purpose: to force the hand of Maricopa County officials who have so far refused to comply with a subpoena the Senate has issued. They have produced various records. But the supervisors contend the county is precluded from surrendering access to voting machines and the actual ballots to senators or the auditors they hope to hire. And so far the Senate’s efforts to get a court ruling compelling disclosure have faltered.

Full Article: Senate panel OKs bill requiring counties to disclose information on voting machines, systems | Latest News | tucson.com

Arizona Senate fails in attempt to hold Maricopa County supervisors in contempt over election audit | Andrew Oxford Jen Fifield/Arizona Republic

An attempt by Republican state senators to hold the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in contempt failed on Monday as lawmakers seek to conduct their own audit of the presidential election results. Breaking with the GOP caucus and casting the crucial vote against the measure, which could have led to the supervisors' arrests, Sen. Paul Boyer said he wanted to give the county and Senate more time to work out their ongoing legal dispute over the Legislature's proposed audit. "Today's vote merely provides a little bit more time for us to work together charitably and amicably as friends," Boyer, R-Glendale, told the Senate. Boyer said the Board of Supervisors does not have any policy disagreement with additional audits of the last election and that his vote was not intended as an end of the process. "My vote is about patience," he said. The Senate issued subpoenas in December and January demanding copies of all the county's mail-in ballots and access to voting machines. But county officials have not released the ballots or voting machines, contending that state law requires the ballots to be sealed unless a judge says otherwise.

Full Article: Arizona Senate vote on contempt for Maricopa County leaders fails

Arizona Rep. Shawnna Bolick says your vote for president shouldn’t count (but hers should) | Laurie Roberts/Arizona Republic

Republican legislators, still steamed about Joe Biden winning Arizona, have been furiously scheming various ways to make it more difficult for people to vote. There’s a bill that would allow only the most faithful party voters to automatically get early ballots and one that would require early voters to get their signatures notarized. There's even a bill to all but eliminate early ballots, given the convenience they provide and their role in propelling Biden to victory. It’s all very confusing and time consuming to keep track of the assorted schemes by which our leaders hope to rein in who is voting (and thus who is winning). Now comes state Rep. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, who has figured out a way to cut through all the fog — basically by eliminating the need for presidential elections. House Bill 2720 would allow the Legislature to veto your vote. I am not kidding. Bolick is proposing that our leaders be allowed to override the state’s certification of election results and appoint presidential electors of their own choosing. “The Legislature retains its legislative authority regarding the office of presidential elector and by majority vote at any time before presidential inauguration may revoke the secretary of state’s issuance or certification of a presidential elector’s certificate of election,” the bill says. That "legislative authority," of course, being the superpower some Republican legislators think is conferred upon them by the U.S. Constitution, giving them the right to hijack the presidential election.

Full Article: Presidential election could be up to lawmakers, not Arizona voters

Arizona: Maricopa County to start forensic election audit on Tuesday | Danny Shapiro/KTAR

Maricopa County will begin a forensic audit of its tabulation equipment on Tuesday, less than a week after voting to move forward with the process despite continued defense of the integrity of the 2020 election. The first of two independent firms will get underway with the audit at the Maricopa County Elections Department at 9 a.m., the department said in a press release. The audit plan calls for both firms to analyze the equipment’s hacking vulnerability, assure tabulators weren’t sending or receiving information over the internet and confirm that no vote switching occurred during the election. Audit work is expected to continue through February and March, according to the plan. 

Full Article: Maricopa County to start forensic election audit on Tuesday

Arizona GOP lawmaker introduces bill to give Legislature power to toss out election results | NBC

The Republican chair of Arizona's state House Ways and Means Committee introduced a bill Wednesday that would give the Legislature authority to override the secretary of state’s certification of its electoral votes. GOP Rep. Shawnna Bolick introduced the bill, which rewrites parts of the state's election law, such as sections on election observers and securing and auditing ballots, among other measures. One section grants the Legislature, which is currently under GOP control, the ability to revoke the secretary of state's certification at any time before the presidential inauguration. "Notwithstanding Subsection A of this section, the legislature retains its legislative authority regarding the office of presidential elector and by majority vote at any time before the presidential inauguration may revoke the secretary of state's issuance or certification of a presidential elector's certificate of election," according to the bill. "The legislature may take action pursuant to this subsection without regard to whether the legislature is in regular or special session or has held committee or other hearings on the matter." A request for comment from Arizona's secretary of state was not immediately returned. The move comes as the Arizona GOP has faced an intraparty fight after former President Donald Trump fueled baseless claims about the election after the state went to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election — the first time in 24 years a Democrat has won the state.

Full Article: Arizona GOP lawmaker introduces bill to give Legislature power t - WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & Sports

Arizona: Maricopa County to audit machines used in November election | Bob Christie/Associated Press

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors plans to vote to hire two firms to audit election equipment and software used in the November election that has been the focus of unsubstantiated claims of fraud from Republicans who question President Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona. Board Chairman Jack Sellers defended the accuracy of the vote count in the state’s most populous county but said Tuesday the board wants to do the audit to try to show doubters that the election was free and fair. “While I am confident in our staff and our equipment, not all our residents are,” Sellers said in a statement. “This is a problem.” Sellers said some people may never be satisfied, but it is better to err on the side of transparency to show the public that the election results were untainted. The board plans to vote to conduct the audit at its Wednesday meeting. The five-member board dominated by Republicans has previously said it wanted to do a full forensic audit once lawsuits filed by backers of former President Donald Trump concluded. Federal and state courts in Arizona rejected eight lawsuits challenging the election results. The GOP-controlled state Senate is seeking to do its own audit and issued subpoenas to the county in mid-December seeking access to copies of ballots, software used in vote tabulation machines and the machines themselves, among other items. The board fought that request in court, saying the Senate sought private voter information and access to ballots and secure voting machines but is currently negotiating with attorneys for the Senate to try to resolve the impasse.

Full Article: Arizona county to audit machines used in November election

Arizona: Maricopa County to turn over election ballot info to lawmakers | Howard Fischer/Arizona Daily Star

Facing a contempt vote in the Senate and a possible adverse court ruling, Senate President Karen Fann said Maricopa County supervisors agreed Wednesday to give lawmakers pretty much everything they are demanding in election materials and access to voting equipment. Fann said the deal guarantees that the Senate Judiciary Committee will get copies of every ballot cast in the Nov. 3 general election. While the subpoena asked for the original ballots, Fann told Capitol Media Services this will suffice. “We don’t want to break any rules,” she said. Fann said the duplicates will allow for a full audit of the returns, comparing the duplicate paper ballots with the official machine tally. Potentially more significant, the deal, as outlined by Fann, gives the Senate access to the equipment used by Maricopa County to perform a “logic and accuracy” test on a random sample of tabulation machines as well as a review of the “source codes.” And there will be access to desktop servers and routers as needed by an auditor. In a prepared statement, Jack Sellers, who chairs the supervisors, did not dispute the points made by Fann. But he said the county and the Senate are “working toward an agreement which delivers some of the requested documents and information while protecting voter privacy and the integrity of election equiptment.”

Full Article: Maricopa County to turn over election ballot info to Arizona lawmakers | Local news | tucson.com

Arizona: Maricopa County, Senate working to end election fight | Bob Christies/Associated Press

Maricopa County officials and the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate on Wednesday agreed to avoid further court hearings while they work on a deal to get the Senate a raft of data from November’s election. The move could lead to an end of a bitter dispute over subpoenas issued by the lawmakers, many of whom who question how President Joe Biden won Arizona. A deal, if it is finalized, would end a three-week fight in which the Republican-majority county board said the Senate’s requests were far out of bounds and likely to expose private voter information for political reasons. The Senate, led by GOP President Karen Fann, had pressed ahead, saying they needed to audit the election results to ensure the county ran the election correctly and to craft new legislation addressing the concerns of Republicans. County supervisors had sought court orders to block the subpoenas. They argued that lawmakers sought election information that was illegal to share. The Senate countered by asking a judge to issue orders requiring the county to comply. Last week, a judge urged the two sides to settle the case. Fann claimed victory on Wednesday, saying the Senate was getting everything it wanted. “Not only has the Board agreed to turn over all the relevant information we sought in our subpoenas so that we may perform an audit, but they also acknowledge that the Legislature is a sovereign power of the state and that the county is a political subdivision, and as such, the Legislature has the constitutional and statutory authority to issue subpoenas,” Fann said in a statement. But Tom Liddy, the deputy county attorney representing the Board of Supervisors, said no final agreement has been reached, let alone one that hands over everything the Senate originally sought.

Full Article: Maricopa County, Senate working to end election fight

Arizona bill aims to disallow Sharpies to be used on ballots | Jerod MacDonald-Evoy/Arizona Mirror

A bill at the Arizona legislature aims to prevent counties from requiring that specific markers or any other pen be used that may damage a ballot after a debunked claim that they spoiled ballots during the November election spread across social media during the election. For the first time ever in 2020, Arizona voters were given Sharpie permanent markers to mark their ballots at Arizona polls this year, and their use spawned false claims from Republican officials in Arizona and members of the state’s conservative fringe that election officials are using the markers to invalidate votes for Donald Trump and other GOP candidates. Senate Bill 1023 by Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, would bar county boards of supervisors from requiring that a specific marking pen be used on paper ballots and “shall not provide for use on ballots any pen that creates marks that are visible on the reverse side of the paper ballot or that otherwise may damage or cause a ballot to be spoiled.” The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office said Sharpies were given to voters at polling places this year because of new voting machines. While the old voting machines — which had been in use since 1996 — could not read Sharpies and many other commercially available permanent markers, the new machines perform better with felt-tip markers. The new machines can read between 6,000 and 8,000 ballots an hour, about twice as many as the old machines. Ink from Sharpies dries faster than ink from traditional ballpoint pens, and the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office advised the use of the markers in Maricopa County. 

Full Article: Bill aims to disallow Sharpies to be used on ballots • Arizona Mirror

Arizona bill aims to disallow Sharpies to be used on ballots | Jerod MacDonald-Evoy/Arizona Mirror

A bill at the Arizona legislature aims to prevent counties from requiring that specific markers or any other pen be used that may damage a ballot after a debunked claim that they spoiled ballots during the November election spread across social media during the election.  For the first time ever in 2020, Arizona voters were given Sharpie permanent markers to mark their ballots at Arizona polls this year, and their use spawned false claims from Republican officials in Arizona and members of the state’s conservative fringe that election officials are using the markers to invalidate votes for Donald Trump and other GOP candidates. Senate Bill 1023 by Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, would bar county boards of supervisors from requiring that a specific marking pen be used on paper ballots and “shall not provide for use on ballots any pen that creates marks that are visible on the reverse side of the paper ballot or that otherwise may damage or cause a ballot to be spoiled.”  The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office said Sharpies were given to voters at polling places this year because of new voting machines. While the old voting machines — which had been in use since 1996 — could not read Sharpies and many other commercially available permanent markers, the new machines perform better with felt-tip markers. The new machines can read between 6,000 and 8,000 ballots an hour, about twice as many as the old machines.  Ink from Sharpies dries faster than ink from traditional ballpoint pens, and the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office advised the use of the markers in Maricopa County.  Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich launched an investigation into the use of Sharpies; less than a day later, he concluded that the “use of Sharpie markers did not result in disenfranchisement of Arizona voters.” 

Full Article: Bill aims to disallow Sharpies to be used on ballots • Arizona Mirror

Arizona Supreme Court upholds election challenge dismissal | Bob Christie and Jacques Billeaud/Associated Press

The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court decision dismissing the last in a series of challenges that sought to decerify Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the state. The high court ruling is the second time the majority-Republican court has turned aside an appeal of a court loss by backers of President Donald Trump seeking to overturn the results of the election. In all, eight lawsuits challenging Biden’s Arizona win have failed. It comes the day before a divided Congress is set to certify Biden’s victory. Tuesday’s ruling from a four-judge panel of the high court agreed with a trial court judge in Pinal County that plaintiff Staci Burk lacked the right to contest the election. That’s because she wasn’t a registered voter at the time she filed her lawsuit, as required in state election contests. Both courts also agreed that she made her legal challenge too late, after the five-day period for filing such an action had passed. Burk said in her lawsuit that she was a qualified Arizona voter, but officials said they discovered she wasn’t registered to vote. She later said she mistakenly thought “qualified electors” were people who were merely eligible to vote, and that her voter registration was canceled because election workers were unable to verify her address. The Supreme Court said the fact that she wasn’t a registered voter was fatal to her ability to file an election challenge and that Burk admitted she knew she wasn’t registered. “There is nothing before the Court to indicate that Appellant timely contacted the appropriate authorities to correct any problems with her voter

Full Article: Arizona Supreme Court upholds election challenge dismissal

Arizona GOP senators want voting materials to turn over to Trump team, lawyer charges | Howard Fischer/Arizona Daily Star

Maricopa County’s attorney is accusing Republican state senators of demanding access to voting equipment and records to turn them over to a lawyer for President Trump. At a hearing Monday, Steve Tully, attorney for the county, pointed out that Kelli Ward, chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, sent out a Twitter message last month saying the materials sought by the Senate were going to be given to Rudy Giuliani. Tully said those would include ballots and passwords and other materials in the two subpoenas issued by Senate President Karen Fann and Sen. Eddie Farnsworth, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. Giuliani, in turn, is quoted as saying he wants to “start forensically examining the voting machines in Arizona,” part of his efforts to question Joe Biden’s victory and deny the Democrat Arizona’s 11 electoral votes. Tully told a Maricopa County judge that if that is the plan, it provides another reason for his client to refuse to turn over the requested information. He said it would violate both the state and federal constitutions and be an “improper legislative purpose.” He also said the county has questions about whether the review the senators want of the equipment and voting materials will be conducted by people who are legally certified. But attorney Kory Langhofer, who is representing the senators, told Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason to ignore those objections as “legally irrelevant.”

Full Article: Arizona GOP senators want voting materials to turn over to Trump team, lawyer charges | Local news | tucson.com

Arizona GOP’s attorney blasts judge in new legal filings over election ruling | Howard Fischer/Arizona Daily Star

The Arizona Republican Party is telling a judge he’s treading on First Amendment rights if he imposes sanctions on the party for bringing what he called a “meritless” lawsuit over the Nov. 3 election. “Public mistrust following this election motivated this lawsuit, and there is absolutely nothing improper or harassing about that,” the attorney for the party, Jack Wilenchik, told Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah. He said forcing those who bring such actions to pay the other side’s legal fees, even if the cases are ultimately thrown out of court, effectively silences those who exercise their constitutional rights to challenge results. And Wilenchik contended the fact it is being considered shows “a degree of bias” by Hannah and that the judge is ignoring the feelings of those voters who question the legitimacy of the general election results. Hannah has not said when he will rule on the issue. The dispute is what’s left of a bid by the state GOP to force a different method of conducting the legally required random hand count of ballots. In that procedure, officials from both parties select a batch of ballots to determine if the machine-tallied results match what humans found. In all cases in Maricopa County in the general election, the match was 100%.

Full Article: Arizona GOP's attorney blasts judge in new legal filings over election ruling | Local news | tucson.com

Arizona Judge will not force Maricopa County to obey subpoena on voting machines | Associated Press

A judge in Phoenix on Wednesday rejected an effort by legislative Republicans to force the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to comply with a sweeping subpoena demanding access to voting machines, copies of all mail ballots and other materials from the election that saw President-elect Joe Biden win Arizona’s 11 electoral votes. Superior Court Judge Randall Warner said lawmakers did not follow the appropriate procedures to enforce a legislative subpoena, but he invited them to refile their case. However, the ruling is a setback to the effort by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Eddie Farnsworth and Senate President Karen Fann to get access to materials in time to audit them and send a report to Congress before Electoral College votes are counted on Jan. 6. The dispute is another chapter in efforts by President Donald Trump and his supporters to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election in Arizona and several other states he lost. The GOP lawmakers say they want the county to turn over voting machines and records so the Legislature can audit Maricopa County’s handling of the election. No evidence of widespread voter or election fraud has emerged in Arizona, which has seen eight lawsuits challenging the results of the state’s presidential vote fail. Claims of sweeping voting irregularities made by Trump backers in Arizona and several other battleground states have mainly been rejected.

Full Article: Judge will not force county to obey subpoena on Arizona vote

Arizona: Maricopa County supervisors sue rather than comply with senator’s subpoenas for election materials | Howard Fischer/Arizona Daily Star

Maricopa County supervisors voted Friday to not comply with subpoenas for election materials issued by the chairman of the state Senate Judiciary Committee. The subpoenas demanded access to copies of the more than 2 million ballots cast by Maricopa County voters in the Nov. 3 election, and for access to the equipment used to tabulate those ballots and the software that ran the equipment. The 4-1 vote to refuse, following a nearly three-hour executive session with attorneys, came amid concerns that at least some of what is being demanded by Sen. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, would expose private information on voters. There also were questions about whether the county has the legal right to give that information to outsiders. Instead, the board members in the majority on the vote — three Republicans and one Democrat — directed their attorneys to file suit and have a judge determine whether the subpoenas are legally valid. The legal papers, filed late Friday, said the subpoenas are not authorized by any law. Legislative panels can subpoena people to testify, but these seek actual materials, said attorney Steve Tully, hired by the county, who is himself a former lawmaker. More significant, Tully said the subpoenas “serve no valid legislative purpose.”

Full Article: Maricopa County supervisors sue rather than comply with senator's subpoenas for election materials | Local news | tucson.com

Arizona: Ethics complaints filed with State Bar against attorneys in GOP election lawsuits | Andrew Oxford/Arizona Republic

Several local lawyers have sent complaints to the State Bar of Arizona accusing attorneys representing President Donald Trump and some of his supporters of violating ethics rules by repeatedly filing what they contend are frivolous election-related lawsuits. The lawyers named in the complaints were part of the flurry of litigation Trump and Republicans launched after his defeat in the general election, claiming in various lawsuits that Arizona’s election was beset by fraud, irregularities and other problems. Courts have dismissed these claims, and the complaints allege that the lawsuits were plainly meritless. The complaints charge that the lawyers treated the cases "as a platform for broadcasting 'gossip and innuendo,' utterly devoid of factual proof, as a political stunt." "Clearly the suits were filed in bad faith, to spread disinformation about election results and add to the false claim that the election was 'rigged,'" wrote one of the signers of the complaints, Robert McWhirter, who ran in the Democratic Party primary for county attorney and is currently a member of the State Bar of Arizona Board of Governors. "For politicians to spout that nonsense in a press conference is one thing, but for attorneys to try to use the courts solely for political disruption is not allowed." One complaint filed last week named 21 attorneys, including a high-profile lawyer for Trump, Sidney Powell, who represented several would-be presidential electors supporting Trump in alleging "massive election fraud" involving voting machines, foreign interference and illegal votes.

Full Article: Ethics complaints filed with State Bar of Arizona against attorneys in GOP election lawsuits

Arizona: Maricopa County goes to court over Senate’s election subpoenas | Jen Fifield and Andrew Oxford/Arizona Republic

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors did not send the state Senate election materials in response to subpoenas before a 5 p.m. deadline Friday. Instead, the supervisors voted 4-1 on Friday to file a court complaint in response, after raising concerns that the state Legislature's demands are too broad and violate voters' privacy. Supervisor Steve Chucri cast the opposing vote. The complaint, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court on Friday, says the subpoenas are unlawful and asks the court to quash them. … The complaint calls the subpoenas "a draconian abuse of power." The state Senate's subpoenas were sweeping, demanding the county turn over digital images of every mail ballot counted during November's general election, along with a list of logs and reports. The legal demand comes as some Republicans in the state Legislature continue to claim widespread election fraud and misconduct, despite reassurances from the Republican-controlled supervisors that the election was fair, and despite multiple audits showing the county counted votes accurately.

Full Article: Maricopa County goes to court over Arizona Senate's election subpoenas

Arizona Bill would permit outside parties to pay for election recounts | Jeremy Duda/Arizona Mirror

Anyone who thinks a recount of an election might change the outcome would have the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is under a new bill filed for the 2021 legislative session. Sen. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, is reviving a proposal he sponsored two years ago that would permit outside parties to pay for recounts. State law currently only permits recounts under extremely narrow circumstances if races are particularly close. For a statewide contest, recounts are only triggered if the margin of victory is 200 votes or one tenth of one percent of the total votes for both candidates. Senate Bill 1010 would allow anyone to request a recount in a race, conducted either through the tabulation machines that election officials use to count ballots or a much more intensive hand count, regardless of the margin of victory. But whoever makes the request would have to foot the bill. The requester would have to post a bond for whatever amount a superior court judge deems sufficient to cover the costs. “It can be frustrating, at the very least, if you believe an outcome should’ve been different — whether you’re right or wrong, or have reason to believe it or not — to not be able to go in and verify that, and even be able to go in and pay for the cost of it. There’s no mechanism for doing that now,” Mesnard said. The proposal comes amid baseless allegations and conspiracy theories among supporters of President Donald Trump that Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election was the result of fraud, particularly Arizona and several other swing states that secured the former vice president’s victory.

Full Article: Bill would permit outside parties to pay for election recounts

Arizona Senate Republicans subpoena Maricopa County on election | Andrew Oxford and Jen Fifield/Arizona Republic

Arizona Senate Republicans said Tuesday they sent subpoenas to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors seeking images of all mail-in ballots counted during the 2020 general election and a large pile of other records. Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, said she anticipates the county will conduct an audit of the election results but that if it does not, the Senate would proceed with its own. County election officials already conducted a routine bipartisan audit, counting a sample of ballots by hand to double-check the results. Maricopa County reported that it got a 100% match. Republican legislators have nonetheless claimed there were widespread irregularities during the election. Judges have rejected those claims in court but that has not deterred lawmakers, who have sought to rally their base by insisting fraud occurred. “The goal is to verify the machines did what they are supposed to do,” Fann said.

Full Article: Arizona Senate Republicans subpoena Maricopa County on election

Arizona judge scraps election fraud lawsuit in which plaintiff not registered voter | Maria Polletta/Arizona Republic

A Pinal County Superior Court judge on Tuesday jettisoned a lawsuit claiming widespread election fraud in Arizona, saying the plaintiff had no standing to challenge the state's election results because she was not registered to vote. Judge Kevin White also said former Gilbert Public Schools Board President Staci Burk had waited too long to file her complaint, and allowing it to proceed would "circumvent the strong public policy supporting prompt resolution of election cases." Burk filed the case Dec. 7, seven days after state officials certified Arizona's Nov. 3 results. Voters have a five-day window to bring election contests. Her claims closely mirrored those in another suit that was making its way through federal court at the time: Both alleged "massive election fraud" in Arizona involving Dominion voting machines, foreign interference and illegal votes, and both named Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and Gov. Doug Ducey as defendants.

Full Article: AZ election fraud suit in which plaintiff not registered voter tossed

Arizona Senate will subpoena Maricopa County for election audit | Jim Small and Laura Gómez/Arizona Mirror

Amid false claims of election fraud spread by President Donald Trump and Arizona Republican leaders, the Arizona Senate will issue subpoenas to inspect and audit ballot counting machines in Maricopa County, a top Republican senator announced Monday at the conclusion of a six-hour-long legislative hearing into the November election. During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, senators heard testimony from the county’s elections director, the chair of its board of supervisors, one of its chief attorneys about the 2020 election and two officials with the Arizona Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unit. They all testified that there was no evidence that President-elect Joe Biden’s win was achieved by fraud, manipulation or tampering, and repeatedly shot down questions from senators based on conspiracy theories. … The subpoena may prove moot, anyway, as county officials testified that they are likely to perform a forensic audit on the machines on their own. Clint Hickman, the chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, told the committee that he had been prepared to ask his fellow board members to approve just such an audit — and a hand-recount of all 2.1 million ballots cast — but was forced to shelve such plans because a case challenging the election results that was dismissed last week for a lack of evidence was immediately appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Jarrett said that an audit and recount of the ballots cannot be completed while the litigation is ongoing, as the machines and ballots are potential evidence. Tom Liddy, a deputy county attorney who serves as legal counsel to the board of supervisors, said it’s possible that litigation could all be finished by the end of the week, clearing the path for the supervisors to approve an audit and recount.

Full Article: Arizona Senate will subpoena Maricopa County for election audit

Arizona: US Supreme Court asked to decertify Biden’s win in state | Jacques Billeaud/Associated Press

Conservative lawyer Sidney Powell has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decertify Democrat President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Republican President Donald Trump in Arizona. Powell, who filed the request with the court on Friday night, also asks the justices to bar Biden’s electors from casting Electoral College votes on Monday. Her appeal marks the second petition for review filed with the nation’s highest court in challenges to Biden’s win in the state. Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward on Friday asked the Supreme Court to review her case seeking to overturn Arizona’s election results. Powell is appealing the dismissal of her lawsuit that alleged voting equipment in Arizona switched votes from Trump to Biden. A lower-court judge dismissed the challenge on Wednesday, ruling no evidence of fraud had been presented and that those who filed the lawsuit lacked legal standing. Arizona certified its elections results on Nov. 30, showing that Biden had won the state by more than 10,000 votes. The lawsuit alleged Arizona election systems have security flaws that let election workers and foreign countries manipulate results and that those systems switched votes from Trump to Biden. Opposing attorneys said the lawsuit used conspiracy theories to make wild allegations against one of Maricopa County’s vendors for voting equipment, without providing proof to back up its claims of widespread Arizona election fraud.

Full Article: US Supreme Court asked to decertify Biden’s win in Arizona

Arizona: Federal judge throws out last election challenge pending in state | Maria Polletta/Arizona Republic

A U.S. District Court judge on Wednesday tossed out the last election challenge pending in Arizona, dismissing its sweeping fraud claims as "sorely wanting of relevant or reliable evidence." "Allegations that find favor in the public sphere of gossip and innuendo cannot be a substitute for earnest pleadings and procedure in federal court," U.S. District Court Judge Diane Humetewa wrote in a blistering 29-page ruling. "They most certainly cannot be the basis for upending Arizona’s 2020 General Election." The lawsuit — filed by a group primarily composed of would-be Donald Trump electors, including Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward — claimed "massive election fraud" in Arizona involving Dominion voting machines, foreign interference and illegal votes. With the assistance of attorney and Donald Trump advocate Sidney Powell, the plaintiffs pushed to have the state's election results "decertified" and election equipment seized.

Full Article: Federal judge throws out last election challenge pending in Arizona

Arizona Supreme Court rejects GOP effort to overturn election results, affirms Biden win | Maria Polletta/Arizona Republic

The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Arizona, upholding a lower court's finding that there was no misconduct, fraud or illegal voting in the general election. The ruling came hours before the so-called "safe harbor" cutoff, a federal deadline by which states must resolve election-related disputes in state courts to guarantee Congress will count their electors' votes. Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward had initially filed the challenge in Maricopa County Superior Court, seeking to have a judge void Biden's 10,457-vote win in Arizona. In her claim, she questioned the signature verification process used by Maricopa Countyto authenticate mail-in ballots, as well as the duplication process election officials used to count ballots that tabulation machines couldn't read. Ward brought the election contest under a state law that allows voters to dispute certified results if they suspect misconduct, illegal votes or an inaccurate count. But, over a day and a half of testimony and oral arguments, her team failed to prove anything beyond a handful of garden variety mistakes, Superior Court Judge Randall Warner said. In an order issued Tuesday after Ward appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court, Chief Justice Robert Brutinel agreed.

Full Article: Arizona Supreme Court rejects effort to overturn results, affirms Biden win

Arizona: These lawsuits challenging the election outcome are in courts this week | Maria Polletta/Arizona Republic

The failure of at least six election-related lawsuits has not deterred Republicans who continue to dispute the legitimacy of Arizona's presidential results. An additional lawsuitchallenging President-elect Joe Biden's 10,457-vote victory will make its way through the court system this week, and a ruling issued last week was appealed to the state's highest court. But challengers seeking to overturn results and name new presidential electors are rapidly running out of time. State officials certified the election on Nov. 30, and Tuesday is "safe harbor day" — the deadline by which states must resolve election-related disputes if they want to guarantee Congress will count their electors' votes. Some attorneys and lawmakers have argued states in reality have until Dec. 14 — the day electors will meet virtually to cast their votes — to address election challenges. But Arizona judges have largely attempted to stick to Tuesday's deadline.

Full Article: Arizona election challenges could wrap up in court this week

Arizona: Federal judge to hear another lawsuit Tuesday against election results | Howard Fischer/Arizona Daily Star

Full Article: Federal judge to hear lawsuit Tuesday against Arizona's election results | Local news | tucson.com

Arizona GOP Speaker of the House rejects calls to overturn election | Ryan Randazzo, Jen Fifield, Andrew Oxford/Arizona Republic

Republican Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Rusty Bowers said Friday that pleas from some GOP lawmakers to overturn the results of the state's presidential election are illegal and "cannot and will not" happen. State Reps. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, and Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, spent much of the day imploring their fellow legislators on social media to overturn the election results in favor of President Donald Trump. Bowers said such action would be both illegal and inappropriate. "As a conservative Republican, I don’t like the results of the presidential election," Bowers said in a prepared statement. "I voted for President Trump and worked hard to reelect him. But I cannot and will not entertain a suggestion that we violate current law to change the outcome of a certified election." He noted that such an action would violate the oath lawmakers took to uphold the U.S. and Arizona Constitutions, along with, "the basic principles of republican government and the rule of law if we attempted to nullify the people’s vote based on unsupported theories of fraud. Under the laws that we wrote and voted upon, Arizona voters choose who wins, and our system requires that their choice be respected."

Full Article: Arizona GOP Speaker of the House rejects calls to overturn election