Arizona’s top election official wants to examine whether Kari Lake, a Republican candidate for governor backed by Trump and lost in November, broke any rules by letting voters’ signatures out.
In a letter sent to state Attorney General Kris Mayes on Monday, state Secretary of State Adrian Fontes asks Mayes to look into Lake and “take appropriate enforcement action” against him for possible violations of state law. Fontes points to Lake’s tweet last week that spread false claims of election fraud in the governor’s race.
Fontes says that Lake’s tweet breaks the law because it includes “a graphic containing images of sixteen voter signatures,” which Fontes says is “accessible or reproduced by any person other than the voter.”
The letter was first reported by the Washington Post. Mayes’ office gave NBC News a copy of the letter but did not say anything else. NBC News asked Lake for a comment, but he didn’t answer immediately.
Lake has repeatedly pushed unproven election fraud claims in the 2020 and 2022 elections. In a tweet he sent out on January 23, Lake said that the signatures on 40,000 ballots did not match those in Arizona’s records. In the tweet, there is a picture of 16 voter signatures.
“I think all the ‘Election Deniers’ out there deserve an apology,” Lake said in a tweet.
🚨 BOMBSHELL DISCOVERY 🚨
Today’s Senate Testimony CONFIRMS nearly 40,000 ballots illegally counted (10% of the signatures reviewed).
I think all the “Election Deniers” out there deserve an apology. pic.twitter.com/3g2x5zgd2c
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) January 23, 2023
Lake has tried several times, but without success, to change the fact that Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, beat her in November. By more than 17,000 votes, Lake lost. Last month, a judge rejected Lake’s claim that there was wrongdoing with the ballot printers and problems with the chain of custody of the ballots.
Last week, the Arizona Supreme Court also turned down Lake’s second request to review her challenge to the election results in 2022. This week, an appeals court will hold a hearing.
Sunday night at a “Save Arizona Rally,” Lake said that she is the rightful governor and that Hobbs is a “squatter in the governor’s office.” Former President Donald Trump also called the rally to say that he still backs Lake. “Ultimately, she’s going to be victorious,” he told the crowd.
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Emma is a Master of Science candidate at the California Institute of Technology. Since approximately four years ago, she has been a freelance writer, producing content for newspapers, magazines, blogs, and the internet