How long does it take to count votes, at least in Maricopa County? Florida got the job done already. Several Republican entities have filed lawsuits in the Arizona Supreme Court. Kari Lake’s campaign, Blake Masters’ US Senate campaign, the Republican National Committee, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee are all suing that county. People are being kept from voting, that’s illegal.
Maricopa County facing a legal challenge
The suit names a number of people. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and Maricopa County Board of Supervisors members Jack Sellers, Thomas Galvin, Bill Gates, Clint Hickman, and Steve Gallardo are all suspect.
Gates reported “some hiccups” on election day. About 20% of the tabulators were having problems. The lead legal counsel Harmeet Dhillon tweeted out, “We sued Maricopa County”.
We sued Maricopa County (@KariLake @bgmasters)https://t.co/0BbfVWSs3f
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) November 8, 2022
Maricopa County machines
The lawsuit said that
“at least 36% of all voting centers across Maricopa County have been afflicted with pervasive and systemic malfunctions of ballot tabulation devices and printers, which has burdened voters with excessive delays and long lines. Numerous individuals were presenting to vote at some or all of these locations were unlawfully induced by poll workers to discard their ballots or otherwise forfeit their opportunity to cast a legally sufficient vote.”
You do not deny people the right to vote. This is the definition of disenfranchising. You’re denying a right or privilege.
Maricopa County did several things
It shouldn’t have. Among them was staying open later than usual, up to 10 pm MST, to cast their vote. The lawsuit told the state court to “instruct the inspector at every polling location that voters whom the e-pollbook have recorded as having previously voted in this election must be permitted to complete and cast a provisional ballot.”
Some weren’t advised correctly and may have put their vote in jeopardy. “Certain voters whose ballots could not be read by the tabulation device were erroneously informed by poll workers that they could spoil their ballot, present at a different voting location later (where, presumably, the tabulators were properly functioning), and cast a valid, regular ballot.” These same people were then told they couldn’t vote or would get a provisional ballot. The lawsuit continued, “In fact, voters who followed these instructions were, at the second voting location, either denied an opportunity to vote at all, or were required to vote a provisional ballot, which, upon information and belief, will not be tabulated.” The lawsuit also said that “immediate judicial intervention is necessary to prevent irreparable injury to the Plaintiffs, vindicate the clear directives of the Arizona Legislature, ensure the fair and equal treatment of all Maricopa County electors guaranteed by the Arizona Constitution, and secure the integrity of the results of the November 8, 2022 general election.”