Ariz. Counties Face Deadline to Certify 2022 Election

Facts

• Six Arizona counties will decide on Monday whether to certify the 2022 midterm election results amid pressure from some Republicans to not approve a vote count that had Democrats winning races for the Senate, governor, and other statewide posts.
• Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs, and others in the GOP have pointed to printer malfunctions in Maricopa County on Election Day, claiming the problems substantially altered results — despite Maricopa election officials’ insistence that no one was prevented from voting.
• A report issued Sunday said problems with printers that surfaced on Election Day did not violate the state's Constitution or other guidelines intended to ensure free and fair elections. Instead, the county blamed Republicans for riling up their supporters.
• According to Maricopa County election officials, at least 60 voting locations experienced issues with their ballot-on-demand printers.
• Republican State Senator-elect Jake Hoffman, head of Arizona’s Freedom Caucus, a group of largely pro-Trump state lawmakers, said he will begin an investigation into the election when the legislature reconvenes in January.
• Former Pres. Donald Trump has also weighed in, suggesting the election was rigged against Lake, who Trump had endorsed.

Sources: Associated Press, MSN, Washington Post, FOX News, Reuters, and Newsweek.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Mail. Complaints about this month’s election go beyond mere speculation — there are many first-hand accounts of issues even more troubling than the printer problems that have been publicized. Election management in Arizona is worse than in even some of the poorest nations around the world, and these votes can’t be certified until a full accounting of them has been done.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. Two years since election lies and conspiracy theories were spread in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, election deniers are still working hard to disrupt American democracy. The issues in Maricopa County were handled properly, with votes cast at places where there were machine troubles set aside and counted separately. Even Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has moved on, and it’s time for the GOP to do the same and allow the certification of the votes.