12/30/2022 Repost from Arizona Daily Independent News Network
A significant discrepancy between Pinal County’s officially canvassed vote tally and its recount tally of ballots cast in the 2022 General Election ballots is expected.
The results of the statutorily required recount in 3 races were expected to be released on December 22nd however, inexplicably, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs petitioned the courts to have the results go directly to her office and asked to postpone the release until December 29th.
News of the discrepancy broke on Twitter when well-respected consultant, Constantin Querard, who is not known for spreading conspiracy theories, shared his understanding of the situation.
“From reliable source in rural county – sizable # of votes found during recount. Net benefit to GOP candidates in the 100s possibly? Yikes! Maybe why recount results are being slow-walked by Hobbs? I’m not one for conspiracy stuff, but no process is perfect, so keep an eye on it!” tweeted Querard.
There were automatic recounts in the Attorney General’s race, Superintendent of Public Instruction race, and the Legislative District 13 (LD13) House race. Arizona law was recently changed, requiring automatic recounts if a candidate wins by a margin that is less than or equal to 0.5% of total votes cast.
The approximately 300 ballot discrepancy in Pinal County stems from a “system failure,” and is expected to favor Arizona Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh, a Republican who is only 511 votes away from the declared winner Democrat candidate Kris Mayes.
It is believed that the issue with Pinal’s tally was known before Hamadeh and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake filed their separate election challenges in Arizona courts. If that is the case, then both candidates were denied information that could have changed their election challenges which focused only on the mismanagement in Maricopa County on Election Day.
Both Hamadeh and Lake were denied court victories on the grounds that they did not prove that the mismanagement could have changed the outcome of their cases. However, legal experts say the new revelations about Pinal County certainly change the legal landscape for Hamadeh.
Due to a court order, all Pinal County elected officials refused to discuss the matter.
In August, officials were forced to fire Pinal County Elections Director David Frisk in the wake of the County’s disastrous disenfranchisement of untold number of voters in the Primary Election. Pinal County Recorder Virginia Ross then resigned her elected office in order to fill the vacancy left by Frisk.
At the time, voters in Pinal County said they felt like they were watching the chairs being moved around the deck of the Titanic.
Prior to the Primary Election Day, Pinal County became the focus of lawsuits after the Elections Department sent about 63,000 voters in seven municipalities an incorrect early ballot in the mail.
Relying on a formula provided by Hobbs’ office, the Elections Department failed to have enough ballots on hand at multiple locations for voters. As a result, voters were turned away and ultimately disenfranchised.
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