Rural Ariz. County cancels plans for full hand count after receiving legal threats from Dem Secy of State Hobbs

TUCSON, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 07: Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs speaks at a press conference calling for abortion rights outside the Evo A. DeConcini U.S. Courthouse on October 7, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona. Hobbs discussed Arizona’s near-total abortion ban, which dates back to 1864, and her aim to restore abortion rights in the state. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) — Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs speaks at a press conference calling for abortion rights outside the Evo A. DeConcini U.S. Courthouse on October 7, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:27 PM PT – Thursday, October 27, 2022

A rural Arizona county has cancelled its plans for a complete hand count of its ballots in the midterm elections amid scrutiny from Democrat Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs.

On Wednesday, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors informed Hobbs (D-Ariz.) that it will only conduct a partial hand count of ballots. This comes after Hobbs threatened the county with legal action if it did not reverse course on its initial plan for a complete hand count of every item on the ballot.

Under Arizona law, counties hand count ballots from a percentage of voting locations to ensure initial results are accurate. Cochise County clarified that they voted to expand this audit and will not attempt an unlawful hand count of every race on every ballot. 1/ pic.twitter.com/lgxuQ7Y61x
— Secretary Katie Hobbs (@SecretaryHobbs) October 26, 2022

Prior to the change, the county had moved to a complete hand count amid concerns of potential voter fraud. Daniel Lachance, a concerned voter, spoke out about the change in plans.

“We were forced to use these machines against our will and without our consent,” Lachance said. “And now want to look at their result and confirm their results. I don’t know why anyone would be opposed to that.”

This, as Hobbs’ Trump-endorsed opponent in the gubernatorial race Kari Lake, has made election integrity a vital issue in her campaign to lead the Grand Canyon State.

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