by Tom Joyce
The Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Arizona filed two lawsuits against Maricopa County, Arizona, this week, and the county isn’t happy about it.
The two Republican organizations argued that the county’s policies would favor Democratic poll workers over Republicans in the 2022 midterm election.
The two Republican entities are upset that Maricopa County hired 857 Democratic poll workers and just 712 Republicans this election season. They argue that this violates state law and that the county must hire an equal number of Republicans and Democrats.
Additionally, the letter from RNC attorney Eric H. Spencer said there was a “significant disparity between political parties in the central processing boards utilized at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) during the primary.”
The attorney argues that just 10 Republican poll workers were able to be on the “receiving/inspection boards” as opposed to 58 Democrats. He argued that this violates state law which requires each central board to be “comprised of two members of different political parties.”
Yet, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates, District 3, and County Recorder Stephen Richer rejected the county did anything wrong in a joint statement on behalf of the County Elections Command Center.
In it, they noted that they themselves are Republicans, as are other people involved in Maricopa County government.
“The idea that a Republican Recorder and four Republican board members would try to keep Republicans out of elections is absurd,” the two wrote. “We contact everyone on the lists the parties provide us. Maricopa County’s temporary election worker hiring practices ensure bipartisan representation throughout the election process and follow requirements established in state law and the Elections Procedures Manual.”
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Dr. Kelli Ward told Breitbart in a statement that they felt they had “no choice” but to sue the county.
“After several weeks of negotiations, Maricopa County left us no choice but to sue because Arizonans who want to be poll workers shouldn’t be shut out of the process,” they wrote. “With midterms just 35 days away, Arizonans deserve basic transparency about how their elections will be conducted. This legal offensive is the latest step in Republicans’ ongoing efforts to promote free, fair, and transparent elections in Arizona.”
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Tom Joyce is a contributor to The Center Square.Â
Photo “Bill Gates” by Maricopa County. Photo “Stephen Richer” by Maricopa County. Photo “Courtroom” by Sadmir Kanovicki.
