RNC candidate, Arizona AG files suit over election mismanagement by officials

Arizona Republicans have filed a lawsuit alleging that the incompetence of election officials improperly influenced legislatures.

Arizona Republican candidate for Attorney General Abraham Hamadeh, along with the RNC, filed a lawsuit against many election officials on Tuesday.

The lawsuit names Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, along with the recorders and boards of supervisors for every county in the state.

Republicans said they are not alleging “fraud, manipulation or other intentional wrongdoing,” adding that the alleged mismanagement did not directly affect the outcome of the election.

ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL DEMANDS ANSWERS TO “MYRIADS” OF VOTING PROBLEMS IN MARICOPA COUNTY

Arizona Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh participates in a border security panel discussion with law enforcement officials at the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office on November 4, 2022 in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“Arizona voters demand answers and deserve transparency about the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the general election by certain election officials,” Hamadeh said. “Widespread errors by our election officials resulted in the disenfranchisement of countless Arizonans who silenced their voices.”

Arizona’s attorney general’s race is up for a recount after Hamadeh’s Democratic opponent, Kris Mayes, came out just 510 votes ahead.

Supervisor Bill Gates of Maricopa County, Arizona, apologized after about 20 percent of his polling places had problems with the tabulating machines reading the ballots a few hours later. Election day open ballot boxes

ARIZONA GOVERNOR ELECTIONS: KATIE HOBBS DEFEAT GOP CHALLENGER KARI LAKE, RACE CAN NOW GO TO STATE LAW RECOUNT

Voting machine malfunction in Arizona raised concerns about election integrity.
(AP Photo/Matt York)

The county had explained that some machines had problems with their printers and were not producing dark enough ink on the ballots.

At least 60 polling places experienced problems with their on-demand ballot printers, according to Maricopa County election officials. The Assistant Attorney General is requesting an in-depth report addressing these issues, as well as the “check-out” procedures at each polling place and the official vote report for each place.

Hamadeh and the RNC allege that Maricopa County officials wrongly disqualified provisional ballots and mismarked early voters in the system.

KARI LAKE’S ATTORNEYS ADVANCE POTENTIAL LEGAL FIGHT IN ARIZONA GOVERNOR’S RACE

The race between Republican candidate Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs is still undecided.

Hamadeh and the RNC aren’t the only Arizona politicians upset with the performance of the state’s election system during the midterms.

Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Wright sent a letter to the Maricopa County District Attorney’s office on Saturday demanding an explanation about the electoral issues before the results can be certified next week.

Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa Board of Supervisors, speaks about malfunctioning voting machines at the Maricopa County Election and Tabulation Center on Nov. 8, 2022, in Phoenix.
(John Moore/Getty Images)

“The Election Integrity Unit of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office has received hundreds of complaints since Election Day regarding matters related to the administration of the 2022 general election in Maricopa County.” Wright wrote. “These complaints go beyond pure speculation, but include firsthand testimony that raises concerns about Maricopa’s legal compliance with Arizona election law.”

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Jessica Chasmar and Ronn Blitzer of Fox News contributed to this report.