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Arizona County Sued Over Failure To Certify Gubernatorial Election Results

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Election officials in one Arizona county are facing legal action after refusing to certify the results of the Nov. 8 election. What makes the case more interesting, though, is the plaintiff: Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the Democratic candidate for governor who has been declared the winner over GOP challenger Kari Lake.

“Cochise County had a statutory duty to certify the results of the 2022 General Election by today. My office has filed a lawsuit to ensure all voters have their votes [count],” Hobbs tweeted on Monday.

Lake has not conceded the election to Hobbs, and her campaign account took exception to the legal tactic.

“This is an egregious abuse of power but when has that ever stopped you before?” the account noted in response to Hobbs’ tweet.

Lake’s campaign, along with a multitude of Arizona voters, have complained about alleged improprieties that occurred on Election Day.

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But Maricopa County officials have pushed back, saying such accusations are groundless and that the county’s election officials were in full compliance with state law during the election, which they certified earlier this week, giving Hobbs a victory of about 17,000 votes.

As for Lake, she was spotted last week at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida just a few days after he declared his candidacy for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, fueling speculation she may be considered for his running mate.

When Lake entered a lunch that was being hosted by America First Policy Institute, she received a standing ovation. She also delivered brief remarks about the Arizona race and what might happen next.

“Lake was frequently discussed as a potential vice-presidential pick for Trump, although she maintained on the campaign trail that she intended to serve a full term as governor if elected. Now that she’s been defeated for state office, her political path is less clear,” the Post noted.

Republicans on social media were happy to see Lake and Trump together at the event.

One Twitter user posted a picture of Trump and Lake together with the caption, “Trump, Kari Lake, Bolsonaro – let’s go.”

“@KariLake if worse comes to worse, Kari Lake will be available to campaign full-time for Vice President of the United States 2024,” another user posted.

“Such a special night at Mar-a-Lago with an amazing group of supporters and everyone’s favorite President. Thank you, President Trump for your incredible support and endorsement. We love you!” Lake herself tweeted along with several photos.

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Soon after the gubernatorial race was called, Lake responded on Twitter by saying: “Arizonans know BS when they see it.”

Lake has filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County election officials seeking records pertaining to the recently concluded election, in which some media outlets have declared Hobbs the winner. Lake has not conceded yet to Hobbs, who, according to The Associated Press, leads Lake by around 17,000 votes.

The lawsuit states:

Plaintiff desires that every lawful vote be properly counted and every voter who was eligible to vote be allowed to vote. Unfortunately, due to Defendants’ failures, many eligible voters may not have been able to vote. Because Defendants were unable or unwilling to conduct a reconciliation of voter check ins against ballots cast of each polling center on election night in accordance with Arizona law and have now unlawfully refused to produce public records in response to two public records requests regarding how they administered the election, Plaintiff cannot determine that every lawful vote will be properly counted. The records Plaintiff requested in response to the numerous issues with Defendants’administration of the election are consistent with a parallel demand by the Arizona Attorney General for answers to questions about the Defendants’ actions.

The suit names Stephen Richer, who is the Maricopa County recorder, and other officials and was filed in Arizona Superior Court. The suit seeks prompt release of certain information regarding how the elections were administered, “which featured widespread issues in the state’s largest county,” The Epoch Times reported.