People line up to vote in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona on Election Day 2020. The county’s Republican-led leadership voted to delay certification of the 2022 election results despite the state’s deadline on Monday.

Ariana Dressler/AFP via Getty Images

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Ariana Dressler/AFP via Getty Images

People line up to vote in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona on Election Day 2020. The county’s Republican-led leadership voted to delay certification of the 2022 election results despite the state’s deadline on Monday.

Ariana Dressler/AFP via Getty Images

Two counties in some battleground states on Monday turned a normally uneventful step in the election process into a political flashpoint.

Officials in rural, Republican-dominated Cochise County, near Tucson in southeastern Arizona, voted to delay certification of the results of this year’s midterm elections and miss the state’s legal deadline on Monday.

“There’s no reason to postpone,” said Anne English, the Democratic chairman of the county oversight board.Two Republican overseers of Anne English County, Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd.

movement risk of elimination of Over 47,000 Arizonans voted From the state’s final official tally, it began a court case. The nonprofit Arizona Retirement Alliance and Cochise County voters are represented in part by the Elias Law Group. sue the county supervisor I will try to force authentication by Thursday.

Secretary of State Katie Hobbs Winning this month Become the next Governor of Arizona Court documents filed We also ask the state court to order county supervisors to certify by Thursday so Hobbs can complete statewide certification by December 8. State Law.

“Without this court intervention, not including the Cochise County ballot, the Commissioner has no choice but to complete the statewide canvas by December 8,” Hobbes’ attorney wrote. Court submission“Thus, the board’s inaction not only violates the plain language of the law, but undermines the fundamental tenets of free and fair elections in this state. Every Arizonan’s voice can be heard.” It’s about doing it.”

in Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania About 117,000 votes The local election commission could be left out of the official results after a stalemate in line with party policy when its fifth member, a Democrat, abstained from voting on whether to certify. There is a nature. Monday is the state certification deadline for counties that have not received a legally valid recount petition.

The Pennsylvania State Department has reached out to county officials to “inquire about the Board’s decision and their intended next steps,” spokeswoman Ellen Lyon said in an email. board member of told the Associated Press After a public hearing that it plans to vote in favor of certification at another meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

Despite these delays, election proof is proceeding relatively smoothly

But for the most part, local certification of midterm election results is proceeding without major controversy — Pennsylvania, Arizona, and across the country.

In the corner of Arizona opposite Cochise County, another Republican-dominated community, Mojave County, suggested that the election results might not be certified.Last week, Republican officials there said they wanted to postpone making a decision until Monday’s deadline to make a political statement. voted for certification.

Still, many election watchers voted on Nov. 18 to wait until Monday’s legal deadline to decide whether Cochise County Republican leaders will certify the results, before Republican officials announced the results of the election. have expressed concern that it might interfere with the process of

“I also knew that after the last cycle, I was in this election and I saw it there. Otero County [in New Mexico’s primary this year]Tammy Patrick, a former election administrator for Arizona and now a member of the National Task Force on Election Crisis, explained in a briefing with reporters last week: Used at least for potential partisan interest or partisan rhetoric. And that’s what we’re seeing here. ”

Cochise County Republican superintendents cited claims about election tool certification that Arizona election administrator Cori Rorick confirmed were tested and properly certified. , called for a meeting on Friday to discuss the allegations.

Before Monday’s vote, Rorrick said in a statement that Arizona’s secretary of state would “enforce compliance with Arizona law and ensure that Cochise County voters We will take all available legal remedies to protect our right to count votes.” any obligation. ”

Republicans have been under a lot of scrutiny over the results in Maricopa County, Arizona

Controversy over local ballot certificates has erupted as Republicans continue to criticize the election administration in Maricopa County, Arizona, Arizona’s largest county and home of Phoenix.

Republican leadership in Maricopa defends election handling, said no voters were disenfranchised As a result of technical issues that occurred on Election Day. Still, the Republican candidates for governor and state attorney general Above allquestioned the results and asked for more information after electronic ballot tallies malfunctioned early on Nov. 8 at several polling places in the county.

And Republican Attorney General nominee Abraham Hamade has taken steps that could turn Arizona’s state-level accreditation into another flashpoint.

Last week, Hamade and the Republican National Committee told an Arizona state court that Arizona Secretary of State Hobbes would issue election certificates to the clear winner of the election, Democrat Chris Mays. filed a lawsuit seeking an order to block the A very thin margin between Hamade and Mays means the race is ready for an automatic recount that cannot start until after statewide accreditation.

In court papers filed Monday, Hobbes’ attorneys said the delay occurred past the Dec. 5 deadline for statewide certification, which state law requires in the presence of the governor, attorney general, and chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. It suggests that another potential controversy may arise if

“All three will be available on December 5th,” Court submission “They have not confirmed if they will be able to attend at a later date,” he said.

Ben GilesA reporter for NPR member station KJZZ in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Edited by: Benjamin Swasey