Inside the Secret Push to Mandate Hand-Counting of Arizona Ballots

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access.

Republican lawmakers in Arizona have been discreetly urging county leaders to count ballots manually instead of using machines, according to text messages obtained by Votebeat through public record requests.

These messages reveal attempts by state lawmakers to use their influence with county supervisors to promote a hand-counting method that state officials have declared illegal.

This tactic emerged after Republican lawmakers failed to amend state laws on the issue. For instance, in Mohave County, Supervisor Travis Lingenfelter sought a vote on hand-counting ballots after being connected to a lawyer by state Sen. Sonny Borrelli.

The push continued even in Pinal County, where state Sen. Wendy Rogers texted Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh affirming the legality of hand-counting despite contrary opinions from the Secretary of State’s Office and Attorney General’s Office.

Despite these efforts, county supervisors rejected the notion of hand-counting ballots. All Arizona counties currently plan to use machines for the upcoming election due to legal advice warning against hand-counting.

Two Republican supervisors in Cochise County, Peggy Judd, and Tom Crosby, are facing felony charges for allegedly conspiring to disrupt the midterm election by advocating for a full hand count of ballots, illustrating the legal risks involved.

The issue isn’t just legality. Studies and trials in various counties, including Pinal and Mohave, show that hand-counting is costlier, requires more manpower, and may lead to inaccuracies and delays in certifying results. Nonetheless, some supervisors, like Cavanaugh in Pinal County, continue to advocate for expanded hand-count audits.

In Mohave County, Supervisor Ron Gould is seeking a court ruling to clarify whether counties must use machines for the initial ballot count, reflecting ongoing legal uncertainties.

The hand-count movement gained momentum following former President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that voting machines were manipulated during the 2020 election. Courts dismissed these claims, and election machines are routinely verified before use.

Grassroots campaigns led by local Republican officials have pressured county boards to abandon machine counting, but thus far, only Cochise County showed some willingness to consider hand-counting.

Votebeat pursued records on hand-count proposals in Mohave County, uncovering additional efforts by state lawmakers like Borrelli to influence local supervisors. Internal messages revealed skepticism among staffers about the feasibility of hand-counting ballots.

In meetings, supervisors debated the practicality and legality, with some suggesting hand-counting plans while expressing doubts privately. The costs and manpower required were significant deterrents.

Following an investigation into a vote to expand hand-count audits, Cochise County supervisors Judd and Crosby faced felony charges, highlighting the legal ramifications of challenging established election procedures.

This year, state senators Borrelli and Rogers toured counties to advocate for eliminating voting machines, focusing efforts particularly in Mohave and Pinal counties.

Mohave supervisors, with the exception of one, initially supported constructing a hand-counting plan. However, upon reviewing the impracticality and illegality, they ultimately voted against it.

Borrelli remained persistent, attempting to secure legal backing to protect supervisors from potential lawsuits. Despite these assurances, warnings of possible felony charges from Attorney General Kris Mayes led some supervisors to vote against hand-counting.

In Pinal County, supervisors conducted a hand-count trial, revealing that manual counting was considerably slower and less efficient. After reassessing, they rejected the hand-count proposal, though Supervisor Cavanaugh expressed conditional support if future legal clarity favored hand-counting.

Republican state lawmakers continue to push for changes in ballot counting methods, but their success depends heavily on overcoming legal challenges and practical concerns that currently favor machine-based counting.