Secretary of State Archives - The Arizona Sun Times

New Bill from Rep. Rachel Jones Would Bar an Arizona Secretary of State from Certifying Their Own Election

January 27, 2023January 26, 2023 Neil Jones

One of Arizona’s newest Republican State Representatives, Rachel Jones (R-Tucson), introduced a new bill that would prevent a Secretary of State from certifying an election in which they participated.

“So, I think it is pretty clear what the intent of this bill is. It is basically saying if a current Secretary of State is running for another office, such as happened in the 2022 election with Katie Hobbs running for governor, this is just getting rid of any potential conflicts of interests with that individual,” Jones said while introducing her bill to the House Municipal Oversight and Elections Committee.

Judge Denies Motion for Sanctions Against Kari Lake, Will Still Require Awarding of Taxable Costs

December 27, 2022December 27, 2022 Neil Jones

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson has officially ruled against the defendant’s motions for sanctions against Kari Lake in her election challenge, stating that her claims were not made in bad faith.

“Plaintiff failed to meet the burden of clear and convincing evidence required for each clement of AR.S. § 16-672 does not equate 10 a finding that her claims were, or were not, ‘groundless and presented in bad faith,” wrote Thompson.

Arizona Attorney General’s Office Issued Warnings Months Before the Election About Maricopa County Ballot Signature Verification

December 15, 2022December 14, 2022 Laura Baigert

Correspondence from Arizona’s Office of the Attorney General months before the November 2022 general election warned of issues with Maricopa County’s signature verification of mail-in ballots.

The first letter came from Attorney General Mark Brnovich on April 16, 2022, and was directed to Senate President Karen Fann as an interim report of the Maricopa County November 3, 2020, general election.

Mohave County Supervisor Ron Gould Was Told He Must Certify Election by County Attorney and Secretary of State’s Office

November 29, 2022November 30, 2022 Neil Jones

Ron Gould, a Mohave County Board of Supervisors (MCBOS) member, appeared in a video shared by the Kari Lake Campaign Monday, saying that he had been threatened with being arrested and facing a felony should he vote against canvassing the 2022 General Election. Gould told The Arizona Sun Times via the phone that this warning came to him partially from an official within his county.

“Actually, our county attorney [Matthew Smith] advised us that if we did not canvass by the deadline, that we would be in violation of ARS § [16]-642,” Gould said.

Arizona County Refuses to Certify Election, Could Face Potential Lawsuit

November 29, 2022 Just the News

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors in Arizona voted 2-1 to delay the certification of the 2022 election results Monday, which may result in a lawsuit from the state.

Arizona’s deadline for counties to certify election results is Nov. 28 and Cochise County may be sued for missing the deadline. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to have another meeting Friday and has demanded the state of Arizona prove that voter tabulation machines were certified for accuracy, local media reports.

In Black Eye for Katie Hobbs, Arizona Mails Thousands of Incorrect Ballots

October 19, 2022 Just the News

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat now running for governor, is acknowledging that as many as 6,000 voters got a mail ballot with only federal races.

Hobbs, whose campaign is staked largely on defending the integrity of the 2020 elections, said Tuesday the mistake was the result of a database glitch.

In Black Eye for Katie Hobbs, Arizona Mails Thousands of Incorrect Ballots

October 19, 2022October 19, 2022 Just the News

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat now running for governor, is acknowledging that as many as 6,000 voters got a mail ballot with only federal races.

Hobbs, whose campaign is staked largely on defending the integrity of the 2020 elections, said Tuesday the mistake was the result of a database glitch.

Commentary: State Secretaries of State Play a Critical Role in Elections

August 1, 2022July 31, 2022 RealClearWire

Most state residents think of their secretary of state as someone who is in charge of their department of motor vehicles. Few realize that the decisions of secretaries of state could determine who becomes president. Dozens of states will hold elections this fall that will determine the officials who will run state elections in 2024 – and these officials could play crucial roles in the next presidential vote count.

Commentary: The 25th Amendment Won’t Fix Our Biden Problem

April 26, 2022April 25, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Despite widespread concern about his cognitive health, President Biden won’t be removed from office pursuant to the 25th Amendment. It would require an unlikely display of integrity from his Vice President and Cabinet, plus an implausible level of bipartisanship in Congress. Moreover, the claims of politicians and pundits aside, the involuntary ouster of an unfit president isn’t the purpose of the amendment. Its principal function is to guarantee that the executive branch of the government is at all times led by an official who is conscious and able to communicate. Thus, the first 3 of its 4 sections focus on keeping the presidency continuously occupied.

Colin Powell, First Black Secretary of State, Dead at 84 of COVID-19 Complications

October 18, 2021October 18, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell died Monday morning due to complication from COVID-19, according to his family. He was 84.

Powell was the first black U.S. secretary of state, serving in the second Bush administration from 2001-2005. From 1989-1993, he served as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the presidency of George H.W. Bush.

He was fully vaccinated, the family said.

11 Months After 2020 Election Georgia Secretary of State Missing Chain of Custody Documents for 6,995 Absentee Ballots Deposited in Fulton County Drop Boxes

October 4, 2021October 3, 2021 Laura Baigert

A review of transfer forms provided to The Georgia Star News in response to an open records request reveals that the Secretary of State’s office in Georgia is missing chain of custody documents for 6,995 absentee ballots deposited in drop boxes in Fulton County during the November 2020 election.

The number of absentee ballots for which the office has no evidence of the origination of the ballots represents 9 percent of the 79,460 total that Fulton County has recorded as being deposited into drop boxes during the more than month-long early voting and election day period.

‘They Lied to Us’: Hundreds of American Citizens and Others with Green Cards Were Left in Afghanistan

September 4, 2021September 3, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Hundreds of American citizens and people with green cards were left in Afghanistan after U.S. forces withdrew from the country, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who were left in Afghanistan were reportedly told after the last American flight took off from the Kabul international airport to expect information about routes out of the country, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said, according to the AP.

“We will communicate directly to them personalized instructions on what they should do, when they should do it, and how the United States government feels we are best positioned to help them do that,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said, the AP reported.

Kari Lake Calls for Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs to Recuse Herself from Overseeing Gubernatorial Race

July 20, 2021July 19, 2021 Rachel Alexander

Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is calling for “the most partisan Secretary of State in the history of Arizona,” Democrat Katie Hobbs, to recuse herself from overseeing the governor’s race. Hobbs is also running for governor. Lake cited Hobbs’ behavior during the 2020 election and aftermath, her “history of irrational bias and disdain toward Republicans in addition to what election investigators have reported to the public about serious issues affecting tens-of-thousands of ballots and voters.” She said, “Arizona voters have lost confidence in Katie Hobbs to run another election.”

Lake is concerned that Hobbs will not conduct the election fairly for Republicans like herself in the race. She asked other candidates to join her demand. She cited a tweet from Hobbs in 2017, where Hobbs said, “[email protected] has made it abundantly clear he’s more interested in pandering to his neo-nazi base than being @POTUS for all Americans.” Hobbs did not delete the tweet.

Georgia Public Broadcasting Reveals Secretary of State Raffensperger Delivered Some Fulton County Absentee Ballot Chain of Custody Documents to Them in April

July 1, 2021June 30, 2021 Laura Baigert

An interview between The Georgia Star News and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) News revealed that they had received Fulton County’s drop box absentee ballot transfer forms from the Secretary of State’s office in April. GPB News, however, did not report on their findings until after The Star News report in June.

Stephen Fowler of Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) News requested an interview with John Fredericks, which also included Laura Baigert, of The Georgia Star News, as part of his fact-check for a story and to get comments from everyone involved.

Georgia Secretary of State Says He Wants Fulton County Elections Taken Over by State

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told Just the News on Wednesday that he wants Fulton County elections taken over by the state under a new law that addresses localities with habitual problems counting ballots, dramatically escalating his battle with the state’s largest urban center in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

“I think people are saying, enough is enough,” Raffensperger said in a podcast interview in which he discussed using the new election integrity law known as Senate Bill 202 to have the State Elections Board take over the Atlanta-area election counting in time for the 2022 elections.