The Republican National Committee is suing Maricopa County over election transparency and hiring practices for election officials in what the county’s Republican registrar called a “political stunt.”
The RNC filed two lawsuits this week after the county failed to do so. reply to a letter The committee sent last month severe explanation Why Democratic poll workers were hired over Republicans in the August election. The RNC claims the county did not answer all the questions put in the letter.
Maricopa County Commissioner Steven Richer and County Commissioner Bill Gates said in a joint statement following the lawsuit, “The idea of a Republican registrar and four Republican commissioners to keep Republicans out of the election. It’s ridiculous,’ he said.
Of the five members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, only Steve Gallardo is a Democrat.
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“This is a lie” Supervisor Thomas Galvin tweeted in response in a suit. “Ronna Romney McDaniel (Chairman of the RNC) is wasting Republican donations and, more importantly, @maricopa county Resources and taxes in a PR stunt that uses the Arizona court system as a political playground. I love Arizona and vow to serve it fairly. I’m tired of grifters attacking AZ. “
The county had to hire an equal number of board members and poll workers from both parties and tried to do so, but the August 2 primary had 857 Democrats and 712 Republicans. stayed at
RNC Chair Lonna McDaniel and Arizona Republican Party Chair Kerry Ward said in a joint statement, “After weeks of negotiations, Maricopa County has decided it has no choice but to sue because Arizona wants to be a poll worker. “People shouldn’t be locked out of the process.” statement. “With 34 days to go until the midterm elections, Arizona citizens must have some basic transparency about how the elections will be conducted. It’s the latest step in the Republican Party’s ongoing effort to facilitate elections.”
The Maricopa County Elections Office previously said: arizona mirror In accordance with state law, we aim for “equal representation from the two major political parties as we fill temporary election official positions,” sometimes exceeding the statutory requirement.
The county blamed partisan voting worker discord in part because of the high turnover rate of workers budding themselves into the election and the need to replace them.
A week before Election Day, the department had to recruit 220 pollworkers. County officials estimate that more than 500 temporary election officials resigned at some point leading up to the election and then had to fill their positions.
The RNC claimed the county did not have adequate processes for backfilling those positions when workers quit, and blamed unreasonable labor requirements for high turnover.
in one of a suitthe RNC provided the court with documentation of the county’s efforts to hire Republican poll workers and Central Election Commission officials, as well as evidence of its efforts to find Republican replacements for workers who did not show up for the election, to Maricopa County. Election Day.
among them other suitthe RNC argues that temporary election and polling place worker requirements in Maricopa County have barred many Republicans from being election workers.
The RNC stated in its complaint that “defendant’s time requirements foresee substantially all persons wishing to participate in October and November but not being able to waive all other personal and professional obligations.” will be excluded,” he said.
Requirements that the RNC says will discourage Republican workers include mandatory 14-hour workdays and weekend shifts.
Republicans nominated eligible voters to serve on county election commissions in the August primary, but the RNC claimed many of the nominated people could not handle the requirements of the job.
“Defendants cannot set onerous time requirements or create overly unpleasant working conditions that would discourage Republican workers from participating in the administration of the Arizona election, and the Equal Access Act cannot be enforced. We cannot claim compliance with (the requirement for equal numbers of Republican and Democratic workers), it was impossible,” the RNC said in the lawsuit.
The RNC has not responded to inquiries from the United States. mirror I ask why longer hours and multi-day commitments discourage potential Republican pollsters more than Democrats.
In response to the RNC lawsuit, All Voting is Local, a nonprofit that advocates for fair and accessible elections, said in a statement that laws on elections and poll workers have been created. Protect voters from anti-democratic conspiracy theorists who seek to disrupt the free and fair electoral process. “
The group also thanked election officials for protecting the right to vote safely.
Alex Grotta, Arizona director of All Voting is Local, said in a statement, “Maricopa County election officials are obligated to select poll workers in accordance with the law, guidelines, and predetermined procedures. “We are confident that our election administrators will abide by and comply with the laws and standards outlined in Laws and Standards. pollster guidelines All Voting Is Local and the Brennan Justice Center made the announcement last week.
This is just the latest in a list of criticisms that the Republicans have thrown at the United States. Maricopa County Elections Office for the past two years, Multi-million dollar partisan ‘audit’ By the now-defunct company Cyber Ninjas during the 2020 presidential election.
