Trial over Kari Lake’s last challenge to loss in Arizona governor’s race wraps up 1st day

By TERRY TANG and JACQUES BILLEAUD
Associated Press

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Attorneys for Kari Lake, the 2022 Republican candidate for Arizona governor, say Maricopa County has a “failed process” for verifying thousands of ballot signatures. Lake’s lawyers spent Wednesday, the first day of a three-day trial showing video and taking testimony from two previous signature screeners. Courts have dismissed most of her lawsuit, but the Arizona Supreme Court has revived a claim challenging signature verification procedures on early ballots in Maricopa County. In a ruling Monday, a judge said Lake was alleging officials failed to perform any higher level signature verifications on mail-in ballots that had been flagged by lower level screeners for any inconsistencies. County officials say they are confident they will prevail in court.