Kari Lake Officially Files 70-Page Lawsuit Challenging the 2022 Election - Here Are the Details
Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County officials for their alleged “misconduct” in relation to problems experienced on election day.
The 70-page lawsuit, obtained through KSAZ-TV, was filed Friday, only a few days after the 2022 midterm election results were certified — in which her Democratic challenger Katie Hobbs won by 17,000 votes.
Lake believes Hobbs was only able to win because of election day problems, which may have tilted the results to be in Hobbs’ favor.
LFG pic.twitter.com/pBPWONtAeW
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) December 10, 2022
Furthermore, if the process was legitimate then so are the results. Let’s find out.
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) December 10, 2022
Such problems occurred primarily in Maricopa County, where as many as 48 percent of voting centers experienced problems scanning ballots on election day. Officials have still not explained what caused the widespread issue.
In the lawsuit, Lake cited a Nov. 30 poll from Rasmussen Reports which found that the majority of Arizona voters agreed with Lake when she said: “This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats. This is about our sacred right to vote, a right that many voters were, sadly, deprived of on November 8th.”
The poll found that 72 percent of likely voters agreed with Lake’s statement, 45 percent of whom “strongly” agreed. Eighteen percent disagreed and 10 percent were unsure.
According to the poll, 71 percent of voters also believe that election-day problems “likely” affected the outcome of Arizona’s Senate election. Of that number, 40 percent thought that it was “very likely.”
On the other hand, 23 percent didn’t think the problems had any effect on the election.
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly won Arizona’s Senate race against Blake Masters with 51 percent of the vote, and Masters with 47 percent.
Lake claims in the lawsuit, “The number of illegal votes cast in Arizona’s general election … far exceeds the 17,117 vote margin” by which Hobbs won, adding that illegal ballots “infected the election in Maricopa County.”
Lake then cited Findley v. Sorenson, a case from 1929 which found that an election cannot be nullified by honest mistakes, omissions, or irregularities, “unless,” as Lake noted, the “result is affected or rendered uncertain.”
“But this case is about more than just those bad acts. Rampant and clear violations of federal and state law have become pervasive at the Secretary of State level under Secretary Hobbs and in the Maricopa County Recorder and Elections Department,” Lake said.
“This case is about restoring trust in the election process — a trust that Maricopa County election officials and Hobbs have shattered. The judicial system is now the only vehicle by which that trust can be restored.”
The lawsuit then cited a recent report which revealed that Hobbs and Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, in 2021, had directed Twitter to remove certain tweets — which Twitter did.
The Republican Party of Arizona calls on @GeneralBrnovich to immediately investigate @SecretaryHobbs over a government agency directing a private company to suppress free speech.
+ a few other violations of State Law.
Read Full Letter⤵️ pic.twitter.com/gwgYnu0nrt
— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) December 6, 2022
Lake argued that this “secret censorship operation” was a violation of citizens’ free speech and constituted election “misconduct” under Arizona law.
Lake noted that election day problems caused many voters to have to wait in line for hours, and since Republican voters were more likely to vote on election day, she said that this “disproportionately” caused many Republicans to give up and turn back.
According to New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger, Lake’s lawsuit is ultimately seeking a court order “declaring that Kari Lake is the winner of the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election.”
NEW: Kari Lake has, as promised, just filed suit against Maricopa County & its officials, challenging certification of the AZ election & seeking a court order “declaring that Kari Lake is the winner of the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election.”
Full story coming… pic.twitter.com/Vgo1a9ggZn
— Ken Bensinger (@kenbensinger) December 10, 2022
Hobbs has already responded to the lawsuit, dismissing it as “baseless” and “desperate.”
A statement from our campaign manager on Kari Lake’s latest desperate attempt to undermine our democracy and throw out the will of the voters.
Baseless lawsuits don’t vote. Arizonans do. pic.twitter.com/rcN5OPjdPa
— Gov-Elect Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs) December 10, 2022
“Kari Lake needs attention like a fish needs water — and independent experts and local elections officials of both parties have made clear that this was a safe, secure, and fair election,” Hobbs’ campaign manager said in a statement posted on Twitter.
“Arizonans made their voices heard and elected Katie Hobbs as their governor. No nuisance lawsuit will change that, and we remain laser-focused on getting ready to hit the ground running on Day One of Katie Hobbs’ administration next year.”
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