Arizona Election Manual Challenge

Lawsuit filed by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) against Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) over the state’s election procedures manual. As the secretary of state, Hobbs is tasked with updating election procedures for upcoming elections which then must be approved by the governor and attorney general. Brnovich refused to approve the 2022 election cycle manual, raising issues with rules around candidate nominating procedures, voter registration, precinct voting, signature verification for absentee ballots, drop boxes and more and claiming that Hobbs “refused to make the changes necessary for the [the manual] to be legally compliant.” Because of this disagreement, there is no updated manual in place for 2022 elections. Brnovich asks a state court to order Hobbs to adopt his preferred election manual for the 2022 election cycle, even though Hobbs states that there are no legal bases for Brnovich’s requests. The court ruled against Brnovich and ordered the use of the 2019 election procedures manual for the 2022 elections since the 2019 election procedures manual was previously approved by both the governor and the attorney general. Brnovich appealed this decision, but the appeal was ultimately dismissed on Aug. 30, 2022.

Last updated: September 8, 2022 3:45 pm EST