Originally published September 7, 2023 6:59 am PDT
In a landmark decision that bolsters the credibility of Arizona’s mail-in balloting system, the Superior Court for the County of Yavapai ruled last Friday in favor of Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE).
The organization had sued the Arizona Secretary of State earlier in March, challenging the signature-match process used to authenticate mail-in ballots.
According to the press release from RITE, the controversy arose because while “state law requires county recorders to match mail-ballot signatures with signatures in the voter’s ‘registration record,'” the Secretary had directed them “to use a broader and less reliable universe of comparison signatures.”
This effectively means that ballots were being counted even if the signatures didn’t align with those in the voter’s registration record, a clear violation of the state’s laws.
The court agreed with RITE’s assertions, mentioning, “the statute is clear and unambiguous” and emphasized that “the legislature intended for the recorder to attempt to match the signature on the outside of the envelope to the signature on the documents the putative voter used to register.”
The Secretary’s approach was found to be contradicting the “plain language” of the state’s laws.
The process, as the court observed, unlawfully allowed signature comparison with documents that have “nothing to do with the act of registering.”
Derek Lyons, President and CEO of RITE, expressed his satisfaction with the ruling, stating, “RITE will build on this victory to continue to fight in court for elections that are administered according to democratically enacted laws, not illegal partisan commands. This is a huge victory toward securing the elections that Arizonans deserve, which are elections they can trust.”
The organization has been vocal in its pursuit of electoral integrity, advocating both in court and through public comment.
They assert that for the protection of Arizona’s mail-in balloting process, the Arizona Secretary of State must amend the current signature matching procedures before the upcoming elections.
If no such voluntary actions are taken, RITE remains “confident that the court will order him to do just that.”
