Republicans have filed the first lawsuit challenging the results of the 2022 midterm elections in Arizona.
Arizona’s Republican Attorney General nominee Abe Hamadeh was joined by the Republican National Committee (RNC) in filing the lawsuit in the Maricopa County Superior Court.
Hamadeh and the RNC are suing election officials across the state.
They allege that “incompetence and mismanagement” of the state’s election officials caused “pervasive errors” in the midterms.
The move now means it’s likely that the recently anointed Democrat governor-elect of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, is heading to court.
Hobbs currently serves as secretary of state, making her the top official in charge of Arizona’s elections.
However, she refused to recuse herself from her official duties while running for governor.
The Grand Canyon State’s election processes have been at the center of controversy on Election Day, particularly in Maricopa County.
Reports indicate as many as 70 polling places, or 48 percent of voting locations, in Maricopa County suffered printer or tabulator malfunctions.
The “glitches” created incredibly long lines and multi-hour wait times for voters in the county, most of which were in areas expected to lean Republican.
Arizona voters and polling location workers say they encountered severe obstacles while attempting to cast their ballots as a direct result of the malfunctions.
Given that these long lines could have discouraged same-day voters, Hamadeh is suing to contest the election results.
After Arizona’s final votes dropped on Monday, Hamadeh was shown to be trailing his Democratic opponent, Kris Mayes, by a mere 510 votes.
On Tuesday, Hamadeh announced his lawsuit.
“Arizonans demand answers and deserve transparency about the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the General Election by certain election officials,” Hamadeh tweeted, along with a screenshot of the lawsuit.
“I will not stop fighting until ALL voters receive justice. See you in court.”
Arizonans demand answers and deserve transparency about the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the General Election by certain election officials. I will not stop fighting until ALL voters receive justice.
See you in court. pic.twitter.com/5jJ6WWt8IK
— Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) November 23, 2022
Hamadeh’s suit alleges the final count was impacted by “election board misconduct, the tallying of unlawful ballots, and the erroneous counting of votes.”
“The voters of Arizona demand answers and deserve transparency about the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the General Election by certain election officials,” he said in a statement.
“Pervasive errors by our election officials resulted in the disenfranchisement of countless Arizonans who had their voices silenced.
“Arizonans deserve to have an election system that is transparent and fair and right now we have neither,” he added.
“Today’s challenge is the only way to provide accountability and restore confidence in our broken election system.”
READ MORE: Ballots Found Stuffed in Black Duffle Bags in Maricopa Country, Arizona AG Steps In
