The Arizona House of Representatives passed a Republican-backed bill on Monday that is almost certain to be vetoed by Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs.
The House voted 31 to 29, along partisan lines. House Bill 2722This will allow all counties in the state to use manual ballot counting instead of electronic counting in elections. The Senate approved the bill 16 to 12 on May 15, also in line with party line. The bill is then submitted to Hobbes.
Republicans on the House and Senate Election Committees repeatedly insisted He claimed, without evidence, that the state’s voting machines were vulnerable to hacking and sabotage, and investigated voter turnout this year.
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“Frankly, House Bill 2722 is a rambling idea that undermines our shared values,” Democratic Rep. Oscar de los Santos of Lavigne told the House on Monday.
De los Santos said ballots in Arizona often contain dozens of races, and with millions of people voting across the state, counting hands is impractical. said. He pointed to the cyber ninja’s failed audit of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County as evidence that people counting isn’t working.
The Arizona Republic recently published an article Outline how inadequate That number also includes a personal text from CyberNinja CEO Doug Logan, who said many numbers are meaningless and the company has no way of determining totals from handwritten vote tallies. rice field.
De los Santos said, “This irresponsible, inaccurate, unreliable, and completely broken electoral system is an attack on our democracy and fair, fair, and accurate elections. It is nothing but.”
However, Republican Rep. Alex Corodin of Scottsdale Attorney Representing Arizona Republicans disagreed, saying HB2722 merely clarified existing law.
“There is no law requiring county registries to use machines to count in the first place,” Corrodin said.
He added that he believes voters should have the right to elect county officials who promise to count hands if they believe it is for the best.
Courts do not necessarily agree with Collodin’s view. Pima County Superior Court Judge Casey McGinley ruled in the fall of 2022 that the Cochise County Oversight Board did not have the authority to extend the standard count audit to full count for the 2022 general election, a ruling now on appeal. inside.
of recent letter Speaking to the Mojave County Oversight Board, which appears to be planning a possible staff count for the 2024 presidential election, Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said: Limited powers have been specifically granted and not permitted.” The results are intended to unilaterally replace certified and tested electronic tallying devices. ”
Fontes also noted that the number of hands could put counties and federals at odds. Help America vote The 2002 election required upgrades to voting equipment and election administration.
In the letter, Mr. Fontes added that manual tallies are notoriously slow and inaccurate compared to machine tallies.
