Arizona Attorney General Nominee Abe Hamadeh has filed the state’s first statement of election contest in the Arizona Superior Court.
Hamadeh currently trails Democrat Kris Mayes by 510 votes as the race heads to an expected recount.
Azcentral reported:
Almost two weeks after Election Day, the results were final in the race for Arizona attorney general after Maricopa County updated the tally with its last ballots. Democrat Kris Mayes led Republican Abe Hamadeh by 510 votes.
The unofficial vote count was final, but the counting wasn’t done. With no outstanding ballots remaining, the race will go to a recount next month.
“We knew this race would be close. The polls showed us that. And we know we have a recount ahead,” Mayes said in a statement to The Republic. “I know this past week and a half has been very stressful for many people. Thank you to all of our hardworking elections officials, poll workers and volunteers. We appreciate you. I’d like to express my deep gratitude to everyone who supported my campaign. Every vote mattered — and this race is surely a testament to that!
“As we head into this recount with a 510 vote lead, we feel confident that the end result will be the same, and I am very much looking forward to being your Lawyer for the People. I want to say I’m extremely proud of the campaign we ran. We were out there proactively on issues like reproductive rights, consumer fraud and the outrageous Saudi water grab. We will now be patient as we go through this process, and ask that everyone else do the same. Let’s lead with hope and humility versus divisiveness and chaos. I believe we’ve had enough of that. Thank you, Arizona! Onward…”
Hamadeh told The Republic in a statement: “We’re not done fighting and we are optimistic the recount will further expose the gross incompetence and mismanagement by Maricopa County officials that disenfranchised and silenced the voices of so many Arizona voters.”
Arizonans demand answers and deserve transparency about the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the General Election by certain election officials. I will not stop fighting until ALL voters receive justice.
See you in court. pic.twitter.com/5jJ6WWt8IK
— Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) November 23, 2022
NEW: Arizona attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh (R) and the Republican National Committee file lawsuit challenging the results of the AG race. The race is going to a recount as Kris Mayes (D) currently leads Hamadeh by 510 votes.
Read the complaint: https://t.co/RfOhNhjtOy
— Democracy Docket (@DemocracyDocket) November 23, 2022
JUST IN: Abe Hamadeh, Republican National Committee file lawsuit against election officials: https://t.co/J9updsLVRw pic.twitter.com/86SpMvxNHf
— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) November 23, 2022
3TV CBS 5 noted:
Republican attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh and the Republican National Committee have filed a lawsuit against election officials across the state of Arizona, alleging “errors and inaccuracies” at some polling locations and in counting certain ballots during the election process.
“The voters of Arizona demand answers and deserve transparency about the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the General Election by certain election officials. Pervasive errors by our election officials resulted in the disenfranchisement of countless Arizonans who had their voices silenced. Arizonans deserve to have an election system that is transparent and fair and right now we have neither. Today’s challenge is the only way to provide accountability and restore confidence in our broken election system,” Hamadeh said in a statement.
According to a statement from Hamadeh, the 25-page lawsuit claims there was “election board misconduct, the tallying of unlawful ballots, and the erroneous counting of votes.” Hamadeh and other officials claim at least 146 voters weren’t properly checked out at their original polling location and went to a different location and voted with a provisional ballot, which won’t be counted. Another claim says at least 273 voters didn’t check out and had their early ballots voided.
There was outcry about voting issues after tabulators at dozens of Maricopa County locations weren’t reading ballots. Election officials said voters who were having problems could drop their ballots in a secure door, known as Box 3. Officials later said all ballots were counted and no voter was turned away.
Maricopa County voting centers experienced more tabulator or printing issues than officials previously announced, according to a memo by an attorney who observed the election process.
The memo follows a letter sent by Arizona Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Wright to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office demanding explanations for the election issues before the results can be certified.
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