Widespread issues and tabulation errors at polling places across Arizona’s most populous county on Election Day fueled new concerns about the integrity of the state’s midterm results.
In light of the errors reported earlier this month, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has not yet conceded the race to Democratic challenger Katie Hobbs, who was declared the winner by multiple media outlets.
While early analysis indicated that roughly 20% of election locations experienced malfunctions that resulted in long lines and frustrated voters, Rasmussen Reports recently claimed that the actual number was 48%.
Furthermore, the same election equipment reportedly worked flawlessly during the early voting period, when Democratic voters are more likely to cast their ballots.
Rasmussen’s assertion seems to bolster widespread claims from Maricopa County voters who said they witnessed incompetence or even fraud while attempting to participate in the recent midterm election.
Lake solicited anecdotes from voters who had such experiences at polling places and shared several accounts on her Twitter profile.
I’m so sorry they did this to us, Arizona. We will not let them get away with disenfranchising our Vote.
If you experienced issues on Election Day, please submit them at https://t.co/16ZEKvDz0L pic.twitter.com/ab1ipDGcUg
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) November 18, 2022
While leftist news sites attempted to smear her as an “election denier” for refusing to preemptively affirm that she would accept the stated results of her race, the chaos surrounding the process seems to validate her skepticism.
In a video statement prior to reports that nearly half of all voting locations experienced serious problems, Lake told her supporters that she is “still in this fight” and had recruited a team of attorneys to explore her remaining options.
“For two years, I’ve been sounding the alarm about our broken election system here in Arizona, and this past week has confirmed everything I’ve been saying,” she added.
Citing the fact that her campaign was “ridiculed” for suggesting that Hobbs, the current secretary of state, should recuse herself from her duties overseeing the election, Lake added: “It turns out, we were right. The fox was guarding the hen house, and because of that, voters have been disenfranchised. When we raised concerns and I filed a lawsuit months ago to get rid of the electronic voting machines – they said we were crazy. Well, it turns out we were right.”
GOP Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chair Bill Gates pointed a finger at fellow Republicans for the issues reported on Election Day, asserting that “those long lines were because leaders in one political party were spreading misinformation.”
Shortly after reports called the election in Hobbs’ favor, Lake made her opinion clear, tweeting: “Arizonans know BS when they see it.”
