Tag: early ballots

Two Legislators Request Attorney General Investigate ‘Disturbing Allegations’ in Pima County’s 2024 Election

Rachel Alexander
State Representatives Teresa Martinez (R-Casa Grande) and Rachel Jones (R-Tucson)

State Representatives Teresa Martinez (R-Casa Grande) and Rachel Jones (R-Tucson) sent a letter to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes last week requesting an investigation into three election problems in Pima County’s 2024 general election. They included two letters Jones and other legislators sent to Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cazares-Kelly previously inquiring about “disturbing allegations” that her office encouraged convicted felons to vote, and how the office handled undeliverable ballots. Cazares-Kelly never responded to either letter. 

The Arizona Sun Times reached out to Martinez and Jones for comment. Both said they had not heard back yet from Mayes’ office, but would give her another week before pressing the matter. They will be putting in their own public records requests to Cazares-Kelly next week. Cazares-Kelly’s personal X account bio states that she is “dismantling white supremacy” and goes by the pronouns “She/Her.”

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Arizona Bill Allowing Easier Access to Cast Vote Record Would Create Loophole Allowing Unverified Ballots, Election Experts Say

Rachel Alexander

A bill that has been making its way through the Arizona Legislature would make it easier for the public to obtain the Cast Vote Record (CVR), which is the electronic representation of how voters voted, but some election integrity proponents are concerned that after an amendment by State Representative Alex Kolodin (R-Scottsdale) was removed in Conference Committee, a loophole allows counties to accept early ballots without verifying the signatures. SB 1518, sponsored by State Senator Ken Bennett (R-Prescott), passed the Senate 17-11 on Tuesday, with a handful of conservative stalwarts joining Democrats to oppose it, but failed in the House 24-32 due to opposition from the House’s Arizona Freedom Caucus. 

Jennifer Wright, former Election Integrity Unit civil attorney under previous Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who is currently representing Abe Hamadeh in his election challenge for Attorney General, tweeted her praise at the legislators who voted against the bill. “Thank you @RJ4arizona, @realAlexKolodin, and others for stopping SB1518 that contained language codifying procedures revealed in @KariLake’s trial that Maricopa used to permit ballots from early vote centers to forgo signature verification,” she said. 

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Kari Lake Announces Intent to Appeal Superior Court Ruling, New ‘Chase the Ballot’ Effort

Rachel Alexander

A day after Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled against Kari Lake on her second election challenge trial, Lake held a press conference outlining her future plans. She said she is looking at “several paths for appeal” and is also launching a new “chase the ballot” group headed up by EZAZ grassroots organizer Merissa Hamilton. During the event, Lake, who is known for getting the best of reporters due to her skilled background as a news anchor, tangled repeatedly with the local mainstream media.

Lake denounced the election fraud and the disappointing court rulings against her. “They know they’re frauds,” she declared. “They absolutely know they’re frauds.”

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Judge in Kari Lake’s Second Election Contest Trial Again Dismisses Her Case

Rachel Alexander

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson has dismissed Kari Lake’s election contest a second time. His first dismissal was reversed by the Arizona Supreme Court in March, and he was ordered to reconsider the signature verification issue. Thompson issued an opinion merely six pages long on Monday, just one business day after the trial ended Friday afternoon.

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Kari Lake Files New Motion, Claims Runbeck ‘Inserted’ Ballots

Rachel Alexander

After the Arizona Supreme Court remanded Kari Lake’s election contest back to the trial court to reconsider the signature verification problems and began considering sanctions against her, Lake responded with a new pleading. Lake filed a Petitioner’s Opposition to Motion for Sanctions and Cross-Motion for a Procedural Order for Leave to File a Motion for Reconsideration of the Denial of her Petition for Review on Wednesday in the Arizona Supreme Court.

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Gov. Katie Hobbs Vetoes Bipartisan Ballot Signature Verification Bill Containing Her Own Policies

Neil Jones

State Representative Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale) made an announcement Wednesday that his House Bill (HB) 2322, relating to early ballot signature verification, has passed through the legislature and is now in the hands of Governor Katie Hobbs (D).

“The signature verification rules included in this legislation helps ensure that only ballots cast by lawful voters are counted,” said Kolodin. “These are the same rules that were written by Governor Hobbs when she was the Secretary of State.”

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Election Integrity Legislation Addressing Early Ballot Tabulation and Polling Locations Pass Senate Floor

Neil Jones

In a weekly update to constituents, State Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R-Chandler) announced Monday that three of his election-related bills recently passed the Senate floor.

“Several of my bills that focus on improving our elections process by speeding up ballot tabulation, while preserving accuracy, security, and transparency, have now passed the Senate and are advancing to the House,” Mesnard shared.

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Arizona Voters Reporting Numerous Election Discrepancies Such as Unrequested Ballots on New Election Integrity App VotifyNow

Rachel Alexander

Concerned voters are ramping up efforts to combat voter fraud, and one innovative election integrity company has created an app to report and share suspicious incidents. VotifyNow is a downloadable app that compiles nationwide reports from observers, such as voters in Arizona complaining about receiving unrequested ballots in the mail. On election day, the app will provide users with information about what incidents are being reported in their localities. 

VotifyNow founder Johnny Vieira told The Arizona Sun Times, “Our mission is to restore confidence in elections. We spent the last 16 months developing VotifyNow using very smart code and algorithms to help voters accurately report suspicious incidents with the touch of just a couple buttons. We put this much time into our platform to help users avoid false flags and give them confidence knowing anything they report will be vetted thoroughly before ever being shared with others, unlike other groups and media out there.“

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Kari Lake Joins Arizona GOP’s Lawsuit Against Secretary of State Hobbs to Stop Unmonitored Ballot Drop Boxes and Include Signature Verification Procedures

Rachel Alexander

Kari Lake may not be elected to office yet, but she is following through already on her vows to protect election integrity. The leading Arizona gubernatorial candidate filed an amicus curiae brief with the Arizona Supreme Court in the case Arizona Republican Party v. Hobbs, which asks the court to compel Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, to include signature verification procedures in the election procedures manual and remove the language she added authorizing the setup of unmonitored ballot drop boxes. Additionally, it challenges “no-excuse” early ballots as violating the Arizona Constitution. 

Lake said in a statement, “Voters have made it very clear that they are demanding nothing less than completely secure elections and we’re going to give it to them come hell or high water.” She said a forensic investigation earlier this year along with a canvass of absentee voters, which uncovered tens of thousands of irregularities with ballots cast in the 2020 general election, compelled her to enter the lawsuit.

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