Kari Lake Files Election Contest Over Arizona Gubernatorial Results

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday, Dec. 9, Kari Lake — the failed Republican candidate for Arizona governor and known election denier — filed a lawsuit against Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D), the Maricopa County recorder, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the Maricopa County director of elections challenging the results of the 2022 gubernatorial race in Arizona.

The complaint alleges that illegal votes were cast in Arizona’s Nov. 8, 2022 midterm elections and states that the “tabulators’ rejection of thousands of ballots set off a domino chain of electoral improprieties.” Lake also argues that Maricopa County ballot printers and tabulator “failures” created “chaos” on Election Day. Additionally, Lake alleges that the defendants’ misconduct “warrants not only vacatur of the actions that each has taken in the canvassing and certifying the 2022 general election but also their recusal from any remaining participation in the 2022 general election as Secretary of State and Recorder, respectively.” Lake asserts that as a result of these alleged violations, specifically issues with voting machines in Maricopa County, “between 15,603 and 29,257 Republican voters were disenfranchised from voting.” 

Among other allegations, Lake contends that “a material number of early ballots cast in the November 8, 2022 general election were transmitted in envelopes containing an affidavit signature that the Maricopa County Recorder or his designee determined did not match the signature in the putative voter’s ‘registration record.’” Lake argues that these alleged violations contravene Arizona law and the Arizona Constitution. Lake claims that she is “entitled to an order vacating Maricopa County’s canvass and Arizona’s certification of the results of the 2022 election” and that the 2022 election should be re-run within Maricopa County or that she should be declared the winner. This lawsuit is part of a larger trend of Republican election deniers casting doubt on valid election results. This lawsuit also comes on the heels of another Arizona election contest brought by election denier and narrowly defeated Republican candidate for Arizona attorney general Abraham Hamadeh. 

Read the complaint here. 

Learn more about the case here.