Arizona Court Dismisses Right-Wing Group’s Election Administration Lawsuit
An Arizona judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to upend election policies in Yavapai County. The decision delivered a blow to a right-wing organization founded by Stephen Miller which brought the challenge.
The judge ruled that plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the case because they could not prove that they were harmed by Yavapai’s election procedures.
The lawsuit was brought by America First Legal Foundation (AFL) on behalf of Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona, Inc. and residents of Yavapai, Coconino and Maricopa counties in February 2024 challenging a host of election procedures in the three counties. Maricopa County — a Democratic stronghold — was dropped from the case in May 2024 after an appeals court ruled it could not be brought to court in a different county. Likewise, Coconino was dismissed in an agreement with plaintiffs.
“A likely reason for AFL’s desire for its lawsuit to play out in Yavapai County is because it’s one of the most conservative counties in the state,” Democracy Docket previously reported.
AFL previously filed a similar lawsuit against Maricopa County but quickly withdrew the complaint.
The plaintiffs alleged that the three counties were plagued by election administration errors, claiming “there is a near-certainty that the November 5, 2024, election (the 2024 general election) will be marred by the same mistakes and maladministration.” Specifically, they challenged the counties’ policies for signature verification, unstaffed drop boxes, ballot curing procedures and cancelling voter registrations. Among other things, the plaintiffs asked for the court or a special master to oversee the county’s elections.
Voting rights advocates intervened in the case and moved to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming the plaintiffs’ requests were “drastic” and “untethered from Arizona law.” They argued the plaintiffs lacked standing and failed to allege violations of law.
“In other words, plaintiffs not only mischaracterize Arizona law and previous elections, but also baselessly speculate about future hypothetical misconduct in elections,” they wrote.
The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning the plaintiffs will not be able to bring the case again.