Two Republican-controlled Arizona counties this week declined to certify the results of the 2022 elections over concerns about voting issues in Maricopa County, The Associated Press reports.
Arizona voters elected Democratic Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs and re-elected Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly but the state attorney general race is headed for an automatic recount once all 15 counties and the secretary of state certifies the results.
A split vote by the board of supervisors in Mohave County on Monday delayed the certification of the county’s elections until the November 28 deadline.
The move came with an explicit vow to certify the results eventually, calling it a “political statement” to show how upset they were with the issues in Maricopa.
Two other Republican-dominated boards in Pinal and La Paz Counties voted to certify the results.
Cochise County:
Unlike Mohave, officials in Cochise County have not promised to certify the results, though they set a meeting to consider it.
The two Republicans who make up a majority of the board demanded that the secretary of state prove that the vote-counting machines were legally certified.
The state elections director told the county the machines were certified but the officials sided with claims by a group that claimed the certifications had lapsed.
Elections Director Kori Lorick provided additional information on the certification on Monday and warned that the state would sue the county if they did not certify the votes.
What’s next?:
County boards do not have the legal right to change the results or refuse to certify the election.
Lorick wrote to officials that if the certification is not received by December 5, the county’s votes will not be counted, which would boost Democrats in statewide races.
County officials have dismissed Republican conspiracy theories about vote tabulator issues in Maricopa, insisting that all legal ballots were ultimately counted.
