Ariz. County Certifies Election After Judge's Order

Facts

• In Arizona, the three-member Cochise County Board of Supervisors on Thursday certified the results of the 2022 midterm elections after an order from Superior Court Judge Casey McGinley. Previously, the board's two Republican members delayed certification over alleged concerns about vote tabulation machines, leaving Cochise as the last Arizona county to certify.
• The board’s delay in certifying the votes prior to the Nov. 28 deadline risked the exclusion of more than 47K votes. This prompted Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, now the Governor-elect, to file lawsuits before the Dec. 8 deadline her office has to complete a canvass of the whole state.
• The board voted 2-0 to certify. The third member, Tom Crosby, had led the attempt to decertify the election and did not attend.
• The Republican board members were unable to obtain defense representation in Hobbs’ lawsuit, and McGinley rejected a request to continue the hearing, instead making the order to certify effective immediately.
• The board's two GOP members said they wanted more time to hear concerns the state’s electronic voting machines were inaccurate — a theory that’s been rejected by federal officials and the state’s courts.
• The two Republican board members could face criminal charges over the certification delay. One Arizona law says a person can be charged with a class-six felony for failing to complete an assigned election-related duty.

Sources: National Review, CBS, Guardian, and New York Times.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart. The Cochise supervisors took a stand to shine a light on Maricopa County’s flawed election system. The election there featured technical problems at polling sites and long waits, and then officials took more than a week to count the votes. Although they complied with the judge’s order and certified results, these supervisors were part of a cause that will hopefully be continued by gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake and her lawyers.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. Since 2020, Arizona has become a hotbed for dangerous election conspiracy theories. This situation in Cochise County was the strongest example of the hold misinformation has taken on many citizens despite evidence proving the machines’ legitimacy. This ruling was a victory for those in the fact-based world against politicians who promote falsehoods to remain in or gain power.