“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.