Arizona Secretary of State Archives

Accusations Fly Between Finchem, Fontes During Arizona Secretary of State Debate Focused on Voter Fraud

September 24, 2022September 23, 2022 Rachel Alexander

Trump-endorsed State Representative Mark Finchem (R-Oro Valley) faced off against Democratic former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes in a debate Thursday evening hosted by Clean Elections on KAET PBS. Most of the lively exchange focused on the candidates’ stark differences regarding voter fraud, with Fontes more dismissive and Finchem stating election integrity is a priority.

Finchem said in his opening statement that he is running due to what’s happened to the office under the current officeholder, Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is running for governor. He said he wants to “restore honor, integrity, and security” to the position. “It’s not up to the secretary of state to make the law, they enforce the law that’s already laid down.” In addition to other controversies, Hobbs has been involved in a high-profile legal dispute with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich for making changes to the state’s Election Procedures Manual that Brnovich asserts are outside of her authority.

Democrat Gubernatorial Nominee Katie Hobbs Slammed for Poor Job as Secretary of State, Tuesday’s Primary Vote Count in Arizona Described as ‘Glacial’

August 4, 2022August 3, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

As vote counting continues in Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial election, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the Democrat nominee, is being slammed for the slow vote count.

“Arizona’s glacial vote-counting isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for how Katie Hobbs would perform as governor,” said John Gabriel, editor-in-chief of Ricochet.

Polls Show Majority of Arizona GOP Voters Still Unsure in Several Races as August Primary Approaches

July 17, 2022July 16, 2022 Neil Jones

As early voting for the August 2nd Arizona Primary Election is underway, OH Predictive Insights (OHPI) held a poll showing that many Arizona Republican Party (GOP) Voters remain unsure who they want to vote for in several races.

“The Governor and Senate primary is taking up much of the oxygen (and airtime) away from these down-ticket races,” said Mike Noble, OHPI Chief of Research. “With voters predominantly undecided in these races, their respective campaign efforts will be critical as they chase ballots, get out the vote, and spend their hard-earned campaign dollars leading up to Election Day.”

Arizona Attorney General Brnovich Refuses to Approve Hobbs’ Election Procedures Manual Due to Election Integrity Issues That Could Lead to Criminal Penalties

December 16, 2021December 15, 2021 Rachel Alexander

Every other year, the Arizona Secretary of State is required by statute to submit a draft of an updated election procedures manual to the Arizona Governor and Arizona Attorney General for approval. This year, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich told Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs that she needed to make several changes in order for it to be in compliance with the law, but she refused.

Brnovich responded to her in a letter on December 10, “As Arizona’s Chief Legal Officer, I have a responsibility to assure that the EPM conforms to the law. As a reminder, election officials who violate its provisions (which are hundreds of pages long) are guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor. Through the red-lined document provided to you yesterday, I have provided clear direction on what changes need to be made to assure the EPM does not unnecessarily expose election officials and workers to criminal penalties.”

Arizona Secretary of State Hobbs, Who Attacked Many on the Right for Allegedly Being Racist, Admits ‘I Participated in Furthering Systemic Racism’

December 11, 2021December 10, 2021 Rachel Alexander

Democratic Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is running for governor of Arizona, labeled people on the right racist, but now admits she herself is racist. A jury found that her former staffer at the Arizona Legislature, Talonya Adams, was wrongly fired due to racism, and Hobbs admitted her culpability in an interview with The Arizona Republic on Wednesday.

Hobbs told the Republic, “Looking back there are probably a lot of things that I would have done differently. I know that in proceeding in her termination, I participated in furthering systemic racism.” The jury awarded $2.5 million to Adams because of the discrimination.

Arizona State Rep. and Secretary of State Candidate Shawnna Bolick Favors Statewide Audit, Other Measures

October 7, 2021October 6, 2021 Rachel Alexander

The results of the Maricopa County ballot audit has many elected officials demanding accountability and action. Arizona State Rep. Shawnna Bolick (R-Phoenix), who is running for Arizona Secretary of State, issued a statement denouncing the fraud that the audit uncovered, and recommended conducting a statewide audit.

Bolick said in a recent campaign update, criticizing Democratic election officials Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes, “Who is surprised that Secretary Hobbs and the former Maricopa County Recorder Fontes bent the rules last year, taking advantage of Covid to consistently undermine our election processes? It didn’t stop in 2020. They continued to obstruct the State Senate’s audit to serve justice. Then we saw how Maricopa County refused to turn over election routers despite a subpoena, but it went deeper. Throughout the audit report, it was clear that at almost every point Maricopa County was uncooperative in providing important context and information. They disrupted the audit processes by deleting logs, files, and important documents from the Election Management System.”

Kari Lake, Mark Brnovich Have Highest Favorability in Their Arizona Primary Races

August 4, 2021August 3, 2021 Rachel Alexander

A new poll from OH Predictive Insights shows former news anchor Kari Lake with the highest approval rate of Republicans running for governor of Arizona and Attorney General Mark Brnovich with the highest approval rate of Republicans running for the U.S. Senate. Lake scored 60% with Republican voters, well ahead of former Congressman Matt Salmon with 51% and former State Treasurer Kimberly Yee at 49%. On the Senate side, Brnovich has 61% compared to veteran Michael McGuire next with 43% and businessman Jim Lamon’s 39%. Blake Masters, a protege of GOP tech billionaire Peter Thiel, entered the race after the poll was conducted.

According to a general election matchup, Hobbs’ approval rating is slightly higher than Lake’s, 40% to 39%. Hobbs has very high name recognition due to her high-profile fight against the Maricopa County ballot audit. Hobbs also has a fairly high disapproval rating relative to the other candidates in the poll, 27%. She once referred to Donald Trump supporters as “neo-Nazis.” She also tweeted “The President is on the side of the freaking Nazis. Don’t just say stuff – DO SOMETHING!!!” She has not deleted the tweets.

Republican Business Executive Beau Lane to Run for Arizona Secretary of State

July 4, 2021July 3, 2021 Cooper Moran

Beau Lane, a Phoenix advertising executive, announced that he will launch a campaign for Secretary of State — a position within the state that has gained national attention.

According to the video announcing his candidacy and his campaign website, Lane will attempt to cast himself as an “outsider” with solutions to improve the office. “We need a citizen and a leader, not a career politician, to restore faith and trust in our democratic institutions,” his website reads.

Maricopa County to Replace Its Voting Machines, Says Audit Compromised Them

June 30, 2021July 16, 2021 Corinne Murdock

Maricopa County intends to replace all of its election machines, due to concerns that the audit compromised the equipment. The county’s Dominion Democracy Suite 5.5B voting system was turned over to Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R-Prescott) and Senate Majority Leader Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) through subpoena earlier this year. The Senate contracted with a private company, Cyber Ninjas, to conduct the audit.

Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel confirmed on Monday the county’s intent to replace their entire fleet of voting machines in a reply letter to Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.

In Move to Strip Secretary of State of Lawsuit Powers, Arizona GOP Tees Up Battle with State Democrats

May 28, 2021May 27, 2021 Admin

Amove by Arizona Republicans this week to strip the Arizona secretary of state of some of her litigation powers signals another escalation of conflict between state Democratic and Republican officials amid a bitterly divisive ongoing audit of the 2020 election results of the state’s largest county.

Trump Campaign Sues Arizona over Rejected Ballots as Vote Remains Razor-Thin

November 8, 2020November 9, 2020 Admin

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit Saturday in Arizona alleging ballots may have been improperly disregarded in Maricopa County, the state’s largest metropolis.

The suit alleged that some in-person votes were not counted because of improper guidance provided by poll workers in situations known as an “over-vote.”