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Cochise County, Arizona, is now the only county in the United States to ever refuse to certify midterm election results, and if officials change their minds and don’t authorize the election tally, it could file lawsuits and even go to the House of Representatives. could threaten the small Republican majority in the US during Friday’s second round of voting.
important facts
Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted hard for Republicans in statewide elections, but refused authentication Monday’s county result was a two-to-one vote, with one board member new york times It was primarily an act of protest against an intended vote problem In Maricopa County, Arizona, these claims are exposed.
Arizona Secretary of State and Governor-elect Katie Hobbs (Democrat) sued the county on Monday to force certification after Cochise County missed a state-mandated deadline to certify and submit county results to the state.
The Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voters in the County again Voters sued over denial of certification Notice submitted The county is threatening a class action lawsuit Wednesday if necessary.
The Board second party To vote on accreditation on Friday at 10:00 am local time to discuss election issues. If you do not voluntarily recognize the outcome at that time, the court may enforce it, as happened in another case. new mexico We’re talking about the midterm primaries.
If county results are not certified by the time Hobbes must certify statewide results (scheduled for Monday, but must be done by December 8 at the latest), the official statewide The vote total does not include Cochise County’s approximately 47,000 votes.
Excluding the county vote would change the election result for Arizona’s 6th congressional district from Republican to Democratic. 5,232 votes—Like the race for the Bloomberg Superintendent of Public Education Note.
amazing facts
Cochise County board struggles to find attorney to represent county in denial of certification lawsuit 12 News report late wednesday. Officials selected Brian Brem as their attorney, who represented a group in Maricopa County that conducted a controversial partisan election audit of the 2020 election results, but later turned down Brem’s offer to represent them. I was told that
what we don’t know
If Cochise County officials face any penalty for refusing certification. Former Arizona Attorney General and Maricopa County Attorney letter Arizona Attorney General Mark Brunovich and Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre urge them Criminal charges against two Republican county officials for delaying certification. The former prosecutor argued that this violated state laws that require proof of election results and prohibit compliance with election laws. The latter is a felony.
main background
Proving election results is usually a routine procedure, but it has become more vilified in the past two years as former President Donald Trump pushed unsubstantiated voter fraud claims in the aftermath of the 2020 election. became. Benign voting practices.Wayne County, Michigan officials simply Rejected In Otero County, New Mexico, just hours before heading back course to prove our 2020 results, refused to prove Major results earlier this year before being forced to do so in court.Cochise County was one of several counties whose certification was feared in the November election, and Mojave County, Arizona officials also under consideration Ultimately certify rather than verify results. Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, was the only county where a state board refused to certify the results because one of her members on the state board abstained from voting. lost of a paper ballot on election day.the board finally Certify results During Wednesday’s second round of voting. Associated Press report Other Pennsylvania counties have also been slow to report certification results to the state amid calls from Republican voters for recounts, but boards in those counties will report results in the same manner as Cochise County. It does not expressly refuse to accredit.
Things to watch out for
In addition to Cochise County’s objection to the Maricopa County ballot issue, it did not prevent the Maricopa County vote. proof of votes— Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake file a lawsuit Disputing the county election would lead to an effort to overturn Hobbes’ victory. Maricopa County drew attention during the midterm elections for problems with its vote-counting system, which raised allegations of fraud, but there was no evidence to support those claims, and officials said they didn’t stop voters from voting in other ways. Lake’s lawsuit cannot be filed until the state proves its results, and Lake, who has repeatedly asserted unsubstantiated allegations of voter misconduct, 17,116 votesA similar lawsuit, filed in the aftermath of the 2020 election, challenged the outcome based on alleged voter fraud, and based on its complete failure, it is unlikely that Lake’s efforts will change the outcome. low.
References
Republicans could lose House seats if Arizona County refuses to certify election results (Bloomberg)
Election Verification Is Almost Late, But It’s A ‘Test Run’ For 2024 (Associated Press)
Cochise County Board of Supervisors votes to delay certification of election results (Arizona Republic)
‘This madness must stop’: Former prosecutor recommends indicting Cochise County supervisor (Arizona Republic)
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