NW Valley Times

Arizona Rep. Austin Smith has openly criticized Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes for her intervention in the voting procedures of Mohave County ahead of the 2024 elections. This dispute arises amidst widespread concerns over election integrity and the efficiency of ballot tabulation systems in the state.

"Says someone with the smallest "lead" in an election in state history. This "attorney general" is unhinged.", said Austin Smith.

Providing some context to this controversy, In the second vote since August, Mohave County decided 3-2 against manually counting votes that were previously suggested to be counted by hand instead of using computer tabulation. Just before the vote, Mayes sent a letter to the board, warning of potential legal consequences if the county opted to manually count the ballots in the upcoming 2024 election, according to AZ Mirror.

What was contained in Mayes' letter? "I understand that you will be voting tomorrow on whether to direct the Mohave County Elections Department to count the ballots for the 2024 elections by hand, rather than automatic tabulating equipment," wrote Mayes in the letter, according to the Office of Arizona Attorney General. "Before you take that vote, I want to make sure you know that a 'yes' vote would direct your Elections Department to violate the law. As Arizona’s chief law enforcement officer, I have an obligation to warn you that legal consequences would be serious."

Given this backdrop, it's important to note, Republican lawmakers in Arizona have been concerned about election integrity due to malfunctioning tabulation machines. Allegations of a flawed election process have increased since November 2022 results were announced, with Abe Hamadeh and former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake voicing their concerns prominently. Hamadeh, a former Republican candidate for the attorney general position, lost to Kris Mayes by a mere margin of 280 votes, as per Arizona Daily Independent.

To emphasize further, On election day in Maricopa County, nearly 20% of voting locations experienced glitches. These malfunctions affected several ballot tabulator machines and impacted a total of 17,000 ballots in the county. Consequently, questions about the fairness and accuracy of the election process have been raised and accusations of fraud have increased, not only by Lake but also by many others according to The New York Times.

In conclusion, "You fight election integrity with 'threat of arrest'," said Arizona Rep. John Gillette, as quoted on the X platform. "Talk about left-wing bullying. The last AZAG and as of yesterday in GA, a Federal Court allows it. It would appear you like not counting legal votes and using unsecured machines with CCP parts."