Rural Arizona County Announces Plan to Hand Count Ballots in Upcoming Elections

Republicans who contend that voting machines are untrustworthy have requested a hand count of the votes in a Republican-controlled county in the presidential battleground state of Arizona for the midterm congressional elections next month.

Reuter reports the Cochise County Board of Supervisors in rural southeast Arizona decided 2-1 on Monday to count ballots by hand in the November elections. However, some election officials have warned that hand tallying is less accurate, might delay results, and is more expensive than machine tallies. The county will also use a machine to count the ballots, and authorities noted that a hand count could increase the possibility of two different vote totals, which they say could further erode confidence in the electoral process. 

Many Republicans have been pressing for hand counts, alleging that voting machines were rigged in 2020 to give Democrat Joe Biden a slim victory in Arizona and other key states. This year’s Republican candidates for governor, secretary of state, and attorney general in Arizona have all questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election and support hand counts. The Democratic chairwoman on the three-member Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted against the hand count, while the two Republicans supported the motion.

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