An Arizona county could face a lawsuit if it doesn’t halt its plan to hand-count all ballots in the 2022 general election.
The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 Monday in favor of the hand-count audit after a meeting that lasted more than three hours and a warning from the county attorney that its actions violated state statute and it would be sued.
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The county also will count ballots cast in the Nov. 8 election by machine. According to the meeting agenda, a 100% countywide hand-count audit “will enhance voter confidence” and “will provide proof of concept for emergency back-up if the voting machine(s) failed in the future.”
“It’s about the people. It’s about our right to vote and have our votes counted and feel confident in the election process,” Republican board member Peggy Judd said during the meeting.
A letter from the Arizona secretary of state’s office dated Oct. 25 cautioned the board against proceeding with the hand count, saying that “a full hand count would not only have been illegal” but would have also undermined the administration of the election, raised security and ballot custody concerns, caused voter confusion during early voting, and “threatened the County’s ability to timely canvass the election as required by law.”
The letter added that the item should have never been on the agenda and praised those who spoke against “that dangerous course of action.”
“Their courage and commitment to uphold the Constitution and laws of the State of Arizona — in the face of unfounded efforts to sow chaos, doubt, and distrust in our elections — deserves our recognition and praise,” State Elections Director Kori Lorick wrote.
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The county was given a deadline of 5 p.m. Wednesday to rescind the decision or face a lawsuit. However, it is unclear whether the county will comply. The board is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The agenda for the emergency meeting lists “direction and action regarding a response to the Secretary of State letter” and “direction and action regarding obtaining outside counsel.”
