Fight over election tally threatens Arizona certification

By BOB CHRISTIE
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — The two Republicans who control the elected board in a rural Arizona county have sued their own election director to force her to conduct a greatly expanded hand-count of ballots cast in the Nov. 8 election. The standoff could affect certification of the results. They want the Cochise County election director to hand over the roughly 12,000 ballots cast on Election Day to the county recorder, an elected Republican. The county’s elected top prosecutor attorney warned the private lawyers representing the two Republican board members that taking ballots without authorization could subject their clients to felony charges. The lawsuit contends the Republican board members have concluded that the expanded hand-count is needed to certify the election results.