by top line
An Arizona judge has ordered rural, Republican-leaning Cochise County to certify its election results by 5 p.m. county in the nation yet to approve its results.
Kari Lake, Republican candidate for governor of Arizona, speaks at the Conservative Political Action … [+]
key facts
Judge Casey McGinley ruled that the county’s three-member board of supervisors must meet Thursday to certify the election results following a 2-1 vote Monday to block certification, missing the state’s deadline for transmit the results to the office of the secretary of state.
McGinley did not specify what will happen if the county submits the results before 5 pm, but the court may be able to force certification if local officials continue to refuse.
Arizona Secretary of State and Governor-elect Katie Hobbs (D) defendant the county on Monday, the date local officials “had a legal duty to certify the results.”
Cochise County is the latest holdout in a small handful of counties that failed to quickly certify midterm election results and chose to continue to block certification, as Trump-backed Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake argues repeatedly, without evidence, that fraud somehow prevented him from defeating Hobbs. .
crucial appointment
“Today’s court decision was a victory for Arizona democracy,” Hobbs tweeted after the order.
key background
Republican candidates across the country performed well below expectations in the midterms, including in Arizona, where Lake and Senate candidate Blake Masters lost. Republicans largely blamed the losses on strategy failure, rather than falsely claiming widespread fraud like in 2020, but Arizona has been an exception. Former President Donald Trump strongly endorsed both Lake and Masters, and Lake focused his campaign on the 2020 fraud claims and “election integrity.” Lake has refused to concede defeat and suggested that fraud may have prevented him from defeating Hobbs. the lake campaign tweeted support for Cochise County on Wednesday night, saying, “Thanks for holding the line.”
amazing fact
If county supervisors refuse to comply with the certification of the election and the court decides not to force Hobbs to send the results before the state certification deadline of December 8, the county’s approximately 47,000 votes will not be counted. of Cochise. Rejecting those votes would flip Arizona’s 6th Congressional District from Republican to Democrat, as Republican nominee Juan Ciscomani only won the race for the seat by just over 5,200 votes (including Cochise County votes).
Other reading
Arizona county has yet to certify its midterm results: Here’s why it could cost Republicans a House seat (Forbes)
Democrat Katie Hobbs Defeats Election Denier Kari Lake for Arizona Governor (Forbes)
Not a Red Wave but a Ripple: The Biggest Election Night Surprises (Forbes)
