A Republican-run county in Arizona sued over a delay in getting election results

Republican-run county in Arizona: Arizona’s Republican-controlled Cochise County has voted to delay the certification of its election canvass past the statewide Monday deadline, resulting in a lawsuit.

The lawsuit, which was widely anticipated after the election, was filed on behalf of a local voter and the Arizona Alliance of Retired Americans. It accuses the three-member Cochise County Board of Supervisors of a “long, baseless effort to call into question the results of the 2022 general election and evade Arizona law” and asserts that the board lacks the authority to halt the election results.

The board voted 2-1 against the certification, citing concerns about voting machines that had been spouted by three conspiracy theorists who claimed they were not properly accredited.

In light of conspiracies surrounding the 2020 presidential election, the lawsuit calls the board’s theories about the election equipment “vague and unsubstantiated allegations that the county’s electronic voting machines could not be trusted.” The lawsuit asserts that by ignoring the deadline, the Cochise County supervisors violate Arizona law. Plaintiffs seek to compel the county to comply with the voting procedure and recount their results.

The Arizona Alliance of Retired Americans sent a warning to the board last week, threatening legal action “if the Board refuses to perform its mandatory statutory duty to accept and canvass the election results” on time, after the board initially voted to postpone the canvass until Monday, the deadline for submitting results.

Katie Hobbs (D), who ran for election herself this year and is expected to become the state’s next governor, also urged the board in her current capacity to certify the results on time.

“Attempts to subvert Arizona’s democracy will not go unpunished. “If the Board does not certify the count by November 28, the Secretary will take all available legal action, including filing a special action, to compel the Board’s compliance,” Hobbs stated. But Hobbs also said the state will move forward with the election even without Cochise County’s results. “Your refusal to certify will only serve to disenfranchise Cochise County voters,” the secretary of state told the board members.