ARIZONA NEWS

Arizona elections office wants Cochise County board’s vote hand-count plan

Oct 26, 2022, 7:37 AM | Updated: 7:37 am

(Facebook Photo/Cochise County - Government)...

(Facebook Photo/Cochise County - Government)

(Facebook Photo/Cochise County - Government)

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s top state elections office on Tuesday ordered a rural county board to spell out in writing exactly how it plans to tally ballots in the midterm elections after it voted 2-1 to approve a “100% county wide hand count audit” of the votes.

Confusion over just what the Cochise County Board of Supervisors did at an hourslong meeting on Monday remained widespread a day later, with the action described by detractors and supporters alike as a full hand count.

The letter from the Secretary of State’s office said it had “serious concerns” about the board’s intentions “particularly considering the lack of any details” and “the fact that the election is just two weeks away.”

The letter dated Tuesday and signed by State Elections Director Kori Lorick said the board’s response must be received by 5 p.m. Wednesday or “the Secretary will deem the Board’s silence to be an admission that it is threatening to proceed without or in excess of jurisdiction or legal authority.”

Lorick said a specific Arizona statute cited in the measure approved for a “precinct hand count” details rules on how such a count can be carried out. For example early ballots, which comprise about 80% of votes in Arizona, cannot be included, Lorick said.

“The SOS letter was not a surprise and we were aware of all the items she referred to in the statute except for early ballots being off limits. I am investigating that further,” said Supervisor Peggy Judd, who joined fellow Republican Tom Crosby in voting for the measure. “Our intention was to follow all applicable statutes concerning hand count voting.”

Democrat Ann English voted against it, warning of possible legal liability. It was unclear who would write the response letter to the Secretary of State’s office.

“I have no information on how the board members think their vote can be accomplished since the County Attorney has given the legal advice it is an illegal action,” English responded.

Republican Kari Lake grabbed onto the letter to bash Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the Democrat she is competing against for the governor’s seat in the upcoming election.

Lake accused Hobbs of arrogance toward local officials “who are trying to restore faith and confidence in our elections” and said the Cochise board has every right “to expand the statutory hand count.”

A federal judge in August dismissed a lawsuit by Lake and Mark Finchem, the Republican nominee to replace Hobbs as secretary of state. The suit sought to require the state’s officials to count ballots by hand in November because of unfounded claims of voting machine problems.

There’s no evidence in Arizona or elsewhere in the United States that fraud, problems with ballot-counting equipment or other voting issues had any impact on the 2020 presidential election outcome.

The board members in heavily Republican Cochise County have been under intense pressure to allow a hand count of all ballots from voters who believed false claims of fraud in the 2020 vote.

During Monday’s chaotic meeting lasting hours, the supervisors unanimously rejected a first measure calling for a hand count. That proposal referred to 100 volunteers who had already been vetted and trained to do the counting.

The differently worded second measure that passed 2-1 called for a “100% county wide hand count audit,” which many, including Cochise County Recorder David Stevens, assumed would be a count of every ballot cast.

“My understanding is that was their intention, to hand count every ballot,” Stevens said of the Republican board members.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

Record streak daily heat...

Danny Shapiro

Phoenix record streak of daily heat reaches 3 weeks on Monday

No, it's not the Monday blues, it's just Phoenix's record streak of daily heat reaching three weeks.

44 minutes ago

interstate 17...

KTAR.com

Heavy delays on I-17 north of metro Phoenix ease after wreck cleared

A wreck on Interstate 17 north of metro Phoenix caused a significant backup for southbound traffic midday Monday.

4 hours ago

securities fraud...

Kevin Stone

Scottsdale investment adviser’s license revoked in securities fraud case

The Arizona Corporation Commission revoked a Scottsdale man’s investment adviser license last week as part of a securities fraud case.

5 hours ago

west valley shooting...

KTAR.com

West Valley investigators searching for clues after man killed in overnight shooting

Investigators are searching for clues after a man was killed in a West Valley shooting early Monday, authorities said.

6 hours ago

...

Serena O'Sullivan

Phoenix teen honored by PETA youth group for dog boot distribution campaign

A 15-year-old started a nonprofit that raises money for dog boots, which are given to people experiencing homelessness in the Valley with pets.

7 hours ago

Gas prices Arizona California bill...

Kevin Stone

California bill that could raise gas prices in Arizona moves closer to passage

A California bill designed to prevent spikes in gas prices in that state could end up hitting Arizona and Nevada drivers in their wallets.

7 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Bright Wealth Management

Here’s how to save money on retirement planning

PHOENIX -- With inflation still going on, people planning on retiring still face many issues on when they can retire and how much money they need to achieve it.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

It wouldn’t hurt to get your AC checked after Arizona’s excruciating heat wave

A well-maintained air conditioning unit is vital to living a comfortable life inside, away from triple-digit heat in Arizona.

...

Sanderson Ford

3 storylines to get you revved up for the 2024 Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals training camp is just a couple weeks away starting on July 25, and Sanderson Ford is revved up and ready to go.

Arizona elections office wants Cochise County board’s vote hand-count plan