PHOENIX — Two Republicans on county commissions in rural southeastern Arizona hand-counted all ballots in the Nov. 8 election after rejecting a motion to say otherwise in a chaotic meeting. ‘s proposal was approved by a two-to-one vote on Monday.

Cochise County supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby voted for the measure after rejecting an initial proposal that mentioned 100 volunteers who had already been vetted and trained for the hand count.3 The second committee chair, Anne English, is a Democrat and voted against both proposals, arguing that national insurance would not protect the nation from the expected lawsuits.

Republican County Attorney Brian McIntyre said, “Please don’t order this another handcount. He said such action is illegal and the supervisor will be held personally liable in a civil lawsuit.” said it was possible.

Republicans have come under intense pressure from voters in strong Republican counties who believe Donald Trump’s false claims in the 2020 election.

“Cochise County supervisors are clearly concocting a scenario to delay the certification of the Arizona election results,” said Natalie Fierros Bock, a member of the Arizona Coalition of Voting Rights Defenders. What we see in Cochise County today will be part of their strategy to overwhelm the work of our election officials.

“These tactics are irresponsible, dangerous and in some cases clearly against the law,” she said.

In the first proposal, which was rejected, the volunteers were to “help those who have lost faith in the election (including some of the participants) to make sure the election is credible and safe in our county. I would like to participate in this way,” he said.

The approved measures require county registrars or other election administrators to audit the number of machines and procedures they organize to ensure agreement in all precincts. McIntyre also called the plan illegal.

Under state law, a small number of ballots for selected races have already gone through a mandatory hand count with a bipartisan team to check the accuracy of the ballot counting machines after all votes have been tallied. increase.

Further discussion on the matter was expected at another county board meeting Tuesday morning.

A similar handcount push in rural Nevada’s Nye County sparked a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union, alleging it endangered the illegal publication of election results. It was one of the first counties in the nation to address the election machinations.

The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Friday that Nye can begin manually counting vote-by-mail ballots two weeks before Election Day.

A federal judge in August dismissed a November lawsuit filed by Republican candidate Kari Lake for governor of Arizona and Secretary of State candidate Mark Finkem.

There is no evidence that fraud, vote-counting equipment issues, or other voting issues affected the results of the 2020 elections in Arizona or anywhere else in the United States.

In Cochise County, recorder David Stevens, who is also a Republican, said poll results could be illegally leaked before they are legally posted at 8 p.m. on Election Day. The county cast approximately 62,000 votes in the 2020 general election.

Arizona Gov. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat running for governor to oversee state elections, wrote in a letter urging the board to abandon efforts to mandate handcounts, saying it would be illegal. agreed to be

“If the board votes to proceed with a full count, the accuracy and integrity of the election will be at risk. Secretary assured Cochise County to conduct the 2022 general election in accordance with Arizona law. The letter suggests that board members who voted in favor may be held personally liable for their actions.

“We are all custodians of taxpayer money, and taxpayers should not bear the burden of any action the Board intends,” he added. “We sincerely hope that such action is unnecessary and that the board will follow the advice of its attorneys.”

decision 2022

Arizonans will vote for the midterm elections this November. Here’s everything you need to know for Election Night.