Arizona Judge Rules Secretary of State Overstepped Authority on Elections Manual

A Maricopa County judge has ruled that the Arizona Secretary of State overstepped his authority by including certain provisions in the 2023 Elections Procedures Manual. One key provision required the Secretary of State to certify statewide election results even if some counties had not yet certified their ballots.

“Nothing in the statutes permits the Secretary to exclude a particular county’s canvass and/or, by extension, disenfranchise the entirety of the county’s voters,” Blaney wrote. “The Secretary does not have the authority to read such a drastic course of action into the governing statutes.”

The judge found that this mandate went beyond the Secretary of State’s legal powers, emphasizing that state law does not allow the exclusion of a county’s canvass or the disenfranchisement of its voters.

This ruling followed a challenge from Republican leaders in the Arizona Legislature, who argued that the Secretary of State had exceeded his statutory authority in updating election procedures.

This decision reinforces the importance of adhering to the rule of law and ensuring every county’s votes are counted as part of the certification process. It serves as a reminder that election procedures must align with established legal standards to preserve the integrity of the electoral system.

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