Maricopa County has certified the election. Let the screaming begin (or continue)
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Monday voted unanimously to certify the outcomes of the 2022 election, that means it’s throughout however the shouting.
And, effectively, the protesting, the suing and the final all-around cry-babying that the election was stolen proper from below Kari Lake and firm.
And the grifting.
To cite considered one of Lake’s latest appeals for funds: “With one contribution of $5, $10, or $35, I can attain each nook of the state and be sure that Republicans know that their poll might NOT have been counted.”
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Lake, others proceed to pitch a match
For weeks now, Staff MAGA’s high candidates have been busy pitching a match about the truth that they misplaced, submitting lawsuits, demanding a brand new election and basically, doing something and the whole lot they will to undermine confidence in Arizona’s Nov. 8 election.
There was Kari Lake over the weekend, waxing on – with out offering any proof, after all − in regards to the “mass voter disenfranchisement” in Maricopa County.
”We all know we WON this election and we’re going to do the whole lot in our energy to be sure that each single Arizonan’s vote that was disenfranchised is counted,” she informed Actual America’s Voice on Saturday.
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There was Abe Hamadeh, submitting a lawsuit final week to dam the state from certifying the vote − or, within the various, to declare him the winner of the legal professional common’s race. Hamadeh misplaced to Democrat Kris Mayes by 510 votes, triggering an computerized recount that may occur after the state certifies the election on Dec. 5.
“I’m not stopping now. Let’s do that Arizona,” he tweeted on Saturday.
There was Mark Finchem, conjuring up a brand new and improved conspiracy principle for why he misplaced to Democrat Adrian Fontes by greater than 120,000 votes. “Soros controls Fontes. Soros controls the press. Soros controls Hobbs. Soros controls the associates. Soros controls the Sheriff. Soros controls the recorder. Soros controls the county supervisors. It’s time we stand as much as Soros and take again Arizona,” he tweeted on Sunday.
Naturally, Rep. Paul Gosar bought into the act. “Hundreds, probably tens of 1000’s of voters on Election Day in Arizona have been disenfranchised and unable to forged their vote as a result of unacceptable incompetence of Maricopa County. This election wants a do-over,” he tweeted on Friday.
Or extra doubtless … nobody was disenfranchised.
But when some folks, certainly, didn’t vote, maybe the blame lies with the leaders of the America First motion – those who informed them to not vote by early poll and to be suspicious of something and the whole lot on Election Day.
Did it actually disenfrancise voters?
Positive, there have been issues on Election Day, as there at all times are. Maricopa County Supervisors Chairman Invoice Gates mentioned as a lot on Monday.
“This was not an ideal election,” he mentioned, shortly earlier than the vote to certify the election. “Nevertheless it was protected and safe, the votes have been counted precisely.”
Curiously, treasured few of the a number of hundred individuals who confirmed up on Monday to complain caught round lengthy sufficient to listen to the county debunk, in detailed trend, their varied claims of the various methods by which the election was stolen. However then, they’ve been groomed to not imagine something elections officers say anyway.
Clearly, the Arizona Republican Occasion wasn’t considering details.
“Voters in Arizona have been disenfranchised. Interval. We don’t care what the @MaricopaVote says,” the social gathering tweeted.
Maricopa County on Sunday acknowledged printer issues in 43 of the county’s 223 voting facilities on Election Day however mentioned no voters have been disenfranchised and no legal guidelines have been damaged.
“Each voter was offered a poll by which she or he might file their votes, and all such ballots forged by lawful voters have been tabulated, whether or not within the vote heart or on the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Heart,” deputy Maricopa County Legal professional Tom Liddy, a lifelong Republican, wrote.
Let’s debunk these MAGA complaints with details
In its response to questions from the legal professional common’s Elections Integrity Unit, the county addressed among the MAGA workforce’s largest complaints:
MAGA COMPLAINT: Republican voters have been compelled to attend in line for hours, with probably tens of 1000’s leaving earlier than they might vote.
IN FACT: The county says the typical wait on the county’s 233 vote facilities was 6 minutes. At 85% of the county’s vote facilities, the longest wait was not more than 45 minutes. Seven vote facilities did have wait instances of as much as 115 minutes, however the county’s on-line posting of wait instances confirmed close by voting facilities with waits starting from a minute to 25 minutes.
MAGA COMPLAINT: Due to printer issues, voters have been informed to place their ballots right into a field, to be taken downtown to be counted, however no one is aware of if these ballots have been counted.
IN FACT: Since 1996, the county has used safe poll packing containers to gather ballots that can’t be learn by the tabulators. They’re then taken downtown and counted.
This yr, printers at 43 vote facilities skilled issues on Election Day. Voters have been suggested by ballot employees to deposit their ballots into these safe “Door 3” poll packing containers. Sadly, some voters, groomed for 2 years to not belief elections officers, declined to take action.
“Regardless of this being a authorized, safe, and dependable voting possibility, many excessive profile and influential people instructed voters to not deposit their ballots in Door 3,” the county reported.
People like state GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward, who shortly after the polls opened on Nov. 8 warned, “DO NOT PUT YOUR BALLOT IN ‘BOX 3’ OR ‘DRAWER 3’.”
And Turning Level USA’s Charlie Kirk, who warned: “DO NOT PUT YOUR BALLOT IN BOX 3 TO BE ‘TABULATED DOWNTOWN’.”
In the long run, 16,724 voters opted to drop their ballots into the Door 3 field, both as a result of printer issues or as a result of they used ballpoint pens the tabulators have been unable to learn reasonably than the markers offered on the vote facilities.
Of these 16,724 ballots, the county says 16,724 have been counted.
MAGA COMPLAINT: Probably 1000’s of voters left one polling place as a result of printer points and went to a different however weren’t allowed to vote.
IN FACT: The county reviews that 206 voters checked in at one voting heart then left to forged their ballots at a second location. Of these, 84 had correctly checked out of the primary voting heart and got commonplace ballots that have been instantly tabulated. The remaining 122 voters – those who didn’t try of their first polling place – got provisional ballots. Of these 122, 109 have been checked to make sure the voters hadn’t already voted, after which counted.
In actuality, Lake and firm merely misplaced
Backside line: 193 of these 206 ballots counted.
But you wouldn’t comprehend it from the irate voters who lined up on Monday morning to name the supervisors “traitors” and “vote traffickers”, to quote Bible passages suggesting that county officers are eternally damned and basically to rail about “We the Individuals” as a result of the vote didn’t go their approach.
“That is clear voter disenfranchisement,” one voter mentioned.
“If you happen to certify at this time, the one factor you can be certifying is your corruptness,” mentioned one other, who acknowledged that each he and his spouse have been capable of vote.
“We have now no confidence in any respect in our elections course of,” one lady mentioned.
I imagine her. In spite of everything, she’s been informed for 2 years by Lake, Ward and a who’s who of onerous proper leaders that our elections can’t be trusted.
Lake on Monday continued her tirade, together with her marketing campaign asserting that the supervisors ignored “overwhelming proof of voter disenfranchisement”.
“This,” the Lake marketing campaign tweeted, “is much from over.”
After subsequent week’s state certification of the 2022 election, search for Lake and firm to file their lawsuits difficult the election outcomes − at which era they will introduce their “overwhelming proof.” My guess is their complaints, simply as in 2020, shall be lengthy on speak and light-weight on precise proof.
That’s as a result of the actual backside line is simply this: Lake and her fellow America Firsters flat out misplaced. And can now spend the following two years screaming about it.
And elevating cash to “struggle” it.
Attain Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Comply with her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.
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This text initially appeared on Arizona Republic: Maricopa County election has been licensed. Let the grifting start
