Abe Hamadeh, a Republican candidate for Arizona Attorney General in 2022 is still working to ensure that every valid vote in the race, which is one of the closest in Arizona history is counted.
Democrat Kris Mayes was declared the winner. She was declared the winner by the initial official results, which showed she had won with 511 votes. Hamadeh sued against these results in December. Six days later, a judge dismissed Hamadeh’s suit. Mayes’ lead was nearly cut in half due to recount results that reduced Mayes lead to 280 voters. Hamadeh’s lawyers claimed that Katie Hobbs (then-Secretary of State) and other Arizona election officials knew about the discrepancies as early as December 21. This information was not shared with Hamadeh or the Court.
Hamadeh asked for a new trial due to the new information provided after the recount results weren’t sealed. In a brief filed on February 6, Hamadeh’s attorneys provided additional details. The voter is not notified of the cancellation of their previous registration.
Wright posted a tweet from Howard, a voter living in Mesa (Maricopa County).
And although there’s been speculation that Howard (and by implication the other 500+ similarly situated voters) is somehow at fault for his voter registration being moved to the county where he has a secondary residence, the evidence suggests otherwise.
4/https://t.co/h9HSGSa0ua— Jen Wright (@JenWEsq) March 21, 2023
Howard, a long-haul truck driver and veteran of the disabled, lives in Mesa. Howard also lives in Mesa. He has a Show Low summer home. Every summer, he temporarily changes his address so that he can continue to receive mail. Howard is still eligible to vote in Maricopa County. He hasn’t changed his address, but he was unable to drive any longer due to health issues. This was done while he was still living in Show Low, Navajo County. This was when the problem started.
Howard didn’t know that his request to have a state ID card triggered ADOT’s Service Arizona portal. ADOT created and submitted a voter registration form to register Howard to vote in Navajo County. Howard’s signature was either “pulled” from the file that contained his data to create his state ID cards.
The system-generated form was reported to the Navajo County Recorder’s Office. Howard’s vote was canceled by the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office based on the “new” registration.
Howard wasn’t notified by either county records at the time.
Howard found out that he registered to vote in Navajo County on May 20, 222. Howard was mailed information by the county registrar about the upcoming primary elections. Howard was not notified by Maricopa County about the cancellation. Howard immediately emailed Navajo County to inform them that he no longer resides in the county. Howard’s Navajo County registration was canceled by the Recorder. Howard received a confirmation letter from Maricopa County.
Howard was allowed to vote provisionally on Election Day even though he had provided proof of his Maricopa County residency.
While Hamadeh awaits a decision from Judge Jantzen or the Arizona Superior Court, he interviews voters who claim that they were disenfranchised. Howard’s claims have been dismissed either by the County Recorder or ignored by voters seeking redress. Hamadeh calls it disenfranchisement.
Our team discovered that many Arizonans were wrongly disenfranchised because of system or procedural mistakes. These values inspire me to fight for justice and accountability for those who are wrongfully excluded.
Hamadeh said that Arizona Democrats’ reaction to Mayes, and other Democrats in Arizona, shows that they fear the truth.
The defendants’ responses reveal one thing: fear. Fear that the election results will be incorrect, fear of inaccurate reporting, and fear of finding out the truth.
Sadly and unsurprisingly, Defendants wish away the guarantees of due process, ignore longstanding precedent, and cast aside material facts for fear of confirming what the evidence will undoubtedly prove: Abe Hamadeh, not Kris Mayes, received the most votes for attorney general
— Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) February 7, 2023
Wright spoke these words about the treatment of voters by election officials:
Rather than taking a defensive, argumentative, & dismissive posture, county recorders should investigate how so many high propensity voters had rejected provisional ballots & work to fix broken systems that caused voters to be disenfranchised.
6/— Jen Wright (@JenWEsq) March 21, 2023
Hamadeh replies to those who claim Hamadeh should “move forward” and that it’s not necessary to do anything now Mayes has been in office and working. He points out that there is precedent and that he can continue with his legal challenge.
This is the precedent ⬇️
“On December 23, 1917, the Arizona Supreme Court, composed of three Democrats, issued a final unanimous decision siding with Hunt’s ballot interpretation, giving him a 43-vote victory.”https://t.co/fmtxZI5bnN
— Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) March 22, 2023
Hamadeh is confident that this is the way to shine a light on the election processes in Arizona and right the discrepancies, errors, and incorrect handling of ballots in the November 2022 election, saying, “The courts are the proper venue for these ballot disputes, not the corporate media or political consultants who act as spokesmen and propaganda for the government. I will continue to fight relentlessly to make sure the will of the people is honored and that all lawful votes are counted.”
