Lake Election Trial Wraps After 2 Days

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • On the second and final day of trial on Thursday, attorneys of former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake, tried to make the case that problems with printers in Maricopa County polling stations, and a violation in the chain of custody of ballots, caused her defeat.
  • Lake, a supporter of former Pres. Donald Trump’s highly controversial claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election, lost by over 17k votes to Arizona Sec. of State Katie Hobbs in November’s midterm election.
  • Although judge Peter Thompson dismissed eight of her claims prior to trial, Lake was permitted to make her case over alleged printer and chain of custody issues. However, her team needed to prove that fraud occurred and that it was done intentionally to change the result of the election.
  • One of Lake's witnesses, cybersecurity expert Clay Parikh, testified that of the 15 ballots he reviewed, 14 showed 19-inch ballot images printed on 20-inch paper rather than the correct 20-inch ballot images, though added that if "duplicated correctly," they should've been counted.
  • Lake's team claimed Maricopa ballot processing contractor, Runbeck, allowed employees and their families to submit their ballots through improper channels. The county countered this by stating it never authorized this and wasn't aware of any such improper ballot deliveries.
  • Judge Thompson didn’t say when he would issue his ruling.

Sources: Associated Press, Independent, Newsweek, and CNN.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by PJ Media. Lake’s claims have been discounted by the masses, but she deserves everyone’s respect after the thorough case her team made. After their witness testified that the 19 versus 20-inch paper issue could not have been an accident, her team proved there were ballots that may not have been counted — a violation of state law. Lake's team is on to something.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by AZcentral. The problems at the polling stations were well-known, and legitimate explanations have been provided. Lake needed to prove that someone in the Republican-controlled county purposely took action to defeat her. In that light, her team failed miserably.