CERTIFIABLE: This Arizona election nonsense is insane

CERTIFIABLE: This Arizona election nonsense is insane

One Arizona county is currently refusing to go forward with certification of their election results, in a move that could essentially silence their voters by rejecting their votes. An election watchdog organization is warning that lawsuits are imminent.

Cochise County’s Board of Supervisors voted on Monday to delay certification of the county’s elections until Friday, pushing past the state’s deadline, which requires the job to be done within 20 days after the election.

The three members of the panel voted 2-1 to delay, on party lines.

Mohave County also voted to delay its vote confirmation, though some of the fiveTh members, all Republicans, disagreed with the move, with one, in fact, declaring it “ludicrous.”

One member also said that the Board had been asked not to certify, although she did not identify who had made the request.

Democracy Docket founder and voting rights activist Marc Elias says that a lawsuit is coming, and the Arizona Secretary of State’s office has also issued a warning to the county about unwarranted delays, specifically addressing conspiracy theories about voting machines.

From The Hill:

“Supervisor Jean Bishop (R) called the move ‘kind of ludicrous’ at the meeting.”

“’We’re not Maricopa County, we’re Mohave County,’ Bishop said. ‘Our vote is solid, our canvass is gonna be solid. Whether or not it’s today or Monday, it’s gonna be the same. We’re good.’”

An editorial in AZ Central addressed the issue before Monday’s meeting in Cochise County, noting that the certification is not an optional duty, but written into law, and considering possible outcomes (aside from potential criminal liability) of a county failing to do so:

“In that case, the statewide canvass would not include the results from Cochise County, which is heavily Republican. This mass disenfranchisement of Cochise County voters − at the hands of their own board of supervisors − could result in flipping the final results in a number of tight races, with Republican candidates and voters paying the price,” AZ Central wrote.

The authors specifically cite a Congressional race and a state supervisor race that are close enough to potentially be flipped if the heavily-Republican Cochise County managed to withhold certification of its votes.

It’s unlikely to go that far though, both because the Board of Supervisors seems to intend to do their job (albeit late) and certify the election at their Friday meeting, and because lawsuits are expected to hit and force their hands.

Ironically, Lake won Cochise County, Arizona by more than 8k votes — so refusing to certify the election in that county would only increase her loss.

Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.

Stephanie Bazzle

Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here: