BOLO: Republican attempts to disrupt vote counts

Voting in Arizona’s July 30 primary went smoothly around the state, with no major technical or logistical issues, according to observers from both major political parties, elected officials, and candidates. But there were disruptions Monday in two of the state’s largest counties, as their boards of supervisors moved to certify the results.

In Pinal, [Kevin] Cavanaugh voted “aye under duress” to certify the results, later explaining that he felt forced to do so even though he doesn’t believe the results were accurate, including in the sheriff’s race, which he lost by a 2-to-1 margin. And in Maricopa, the epicenter of election conspiracy theories since 2020, residents yelled at the supervisors from the podium during the public comment period, with one saying she had more faith in Russia’s elections because “Maricopa is a joke.”

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Cavanaugh said he has identified what he believes to be a suspicious pattern in the results that signal cheating. But data analysts who reviewed the results say that by itself, the pattern he identified doesn’t indicate a problem with the results. County officials and observers from both major political parties say they believe the results are accurate.

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In Arizona, supervisors can postpone the certification only if some results are missing. That was not the case in this election. Any challenges to the results, under state law, have to be filed in court shortly after the secretary of state certifies the statewide results.

The vote to certify is “not the board saying we support, we believe this is correct,” Volkmer said. “You may feel that way, but that’s not what the canvass is for.”

When Cavanaugh then tried to bring up his concerns about the results, Goodman repeatedly attempted to shut him down. When Cavanaugh voted “aye under duress,” Goodman said, “It’s still an aye.”

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The Republican-led boards in both counties ultimately voted unanimously to certify the results, but the disruptions may be a sign of what is to come in November.

GOP supervisors and candidates across the state have sought to challenge the results of the last two statewide general elections, and if Donald Trump and Kari Lake — two candidates who still refuse to acknowledge their past election losses — lose their 2024 races for president and U.S. Senate, respectively, there’s a good chance it will happen again. The question is how far their supporters will be willing, or able, to go to protest the results, and whether new strategies, such as a vote “under duress” will come into play.

  Votebeat

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.