By-election | The results in Arizona were confirmed despite opposition from Republicans

(Phoenix) Officials in Arizona on Monday certified the results of the US midterm elections, confirming a victory for Democrats against Republicans, falsely claiming the 2020 election was rigged.

Jonathan J. Cooper

Associated Press

This confirmation opens the five-day period now provided for election challenges. Republican Kari Lake, who lost the governor’s race and has been criticizing the way the ballot was conducted for weeks, must file a request to contest the result.

After the midterm elections in November, most election results in the United States were confirmed without a hitch, but Arizona was an exception to the rule. Many Republican-controlled counties have been slow to verify results, even when there is no evidence of voter fraud.

Cochise County in southeastern Arizona also missed a deadline set last week, when a judge intervened to force supervisors to certify the results before the end of the day.

“The election went well in Arizona,” said Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, before adding her signature to the ratification. “But very often in this process, influential people spread false information that threatens to turn voters away. »

Mr. in the statewide applicable certificate.^me Hobbs, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Chief Justice Robert Brutinel.

When the same group certified the results of the 2020 election, Mr. Ducey was forced to ignore a call from then-President Donald Trump, who at the time was trying his best to convince his Republican allies to do so. Join his quest. Overturn the ballot results that ousted him from the White House.

“It’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly,” Ducey said. Its aim is to recognize the votes submitted by the voters of our beautiful state. »

Disgruntled Republicans

Republicans have been denying for weeks that M^me Hobbes plays an important role in confirming his own victory as governor against M^me LAKE — It’s common for election workers to keep their jobs while running for higher office.

M^me Lake and his colleagues focused their criticism on problems with the ballot printers, which produced nearly 17,000 ballots that could not be counted on the spot and had to be counted at an Elections Department office.

Queues formed at some polling stations, fueling Republican suspicions that some of their supporters were unable to vote, but it influenced voters. Results. All county officials were able to vote and all legal ballots were counted.

M^me Hobbs immediately asked Maricopa County Superior Court to begin a recount, as required by law, in three races decided by less than half a point. The race for attorney general was the tightest in the state’s history, as Democrat Chris Mayes defeated Republican Abe Hamadeh by just 510 votes out of 2.5 million cast.

Elections for superintendent of public education and a legislative seat in suburban Phoenix are also subject to judicial recounts, but the margins are wide.

Arizona’s key races have been handily won by Democrats after Republicans nominated a slate of Trump-backed candidates who continue to support his false claims about the 2020 election.

In addition, M.^me Hobbs and M^me Mayes, Democratic Senator Mark Kelly won re-election and Democrat Adrian Fontes won the Secretary of State race.