Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake outlines how she’d keep elections clean and fair
Oct 23, 2022, 6:00 PM | Updated: Oct 24, 2022, 9:55 am
(AP Photo/Matt York, File)
(AP Photo/Matt York, File)
PHOENIX – The Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission televised the gubernatorial event with Republican Kari Lake on Sunday and the candidate laid out her plan for how she believes elections will be kept clean and fair.
Moderated by KTAR News 92.3 FM and AZTV7 host Mike Broomhead, Lake was asked how she would be satisfied with an “honest election” in the upcoming race.
“So we’re going to work to improve the voting system, clean up the voter roles, make sure that we don’t have mail-in ballots floating around in homes where there’s only one voter and they’re receiving five mail-in ballots, and make sure that when our votes are counted, they’re counted properly, in a very transparent way where we trust the system of voting,” Lake said.
Lake echoed that regardless of whoever wins, she and voters want to see that only one ballot is counted for every constituent. This, in Lake’s mind, makes up an “honest and transparent” election.
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Lake did not say whether she wanted to end mail-in ballots, but said she thinks that the electronic voting machines are inaccurate and they need to be working properly on Election Day.
“We can’t have machines like that counting our sacred vote, there’s too much on the line,” Lake said. “We want to make sure we have a secure and honest election system and I’ll work with lawmakers to make sure that happens.”
Tabulation equipment in Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous, went through rounds of testing and is federally accredited with an Election Assistance Commission certification.
Lake was asked if she was confident this election cycle would be fair and was quick to say no.
She mentioned how her opponent, Democrat Katie Hobbs, is the current Secretary of State and accused Hobbs has shown “incompetency and maladministration” already before the election.
“I wish I could sit here and say yes, but I’m not,” Lake said. “… I’m afraid that it probably is not going to be completely fair.”
The Republican doubled down, saying she wants to get rid of any loopholes and make it impossible to cheat.
She said she would absolutely be happy to do a hand count of the votes to ensure this.
“I’m all for it. I want more transparency, folks. I’m all for it.”
