11 Arizona Democrats prepare to cast their votes in the Electoral College. Dec. 14, 2020
By Stacey Barchenger| Arizona Republic
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said Monday he first learned about a strategy to create an illegitimate slate of Trump-loyal electors for the state from public reports.
That Ducey, an establishment Republican, wasn’t clued into such a radical effort to keep Trump in the White House isn’t necessarily surprising given his relationship with the former president and his supporters quickly soured after the 2020 election.
But even 15 months after the election, Ducey wouldn’t say whether those false electors should face consequences.
“I’m going to leave that to the appropriate authorities,” the governor said.
When the fake electors met at Arizona Republican Party headquarters in mid-December 2020, Ducey had already certified that Joe Biden won Arizona. He famously silenced a phone call from the president during the certification ceremony, solidifying his split from Republicans who control the state party and continue to further falsehoods that Trump won the election.
Read more:How Arizona’s slate of electors planned to deliver Trump a second presidential term
Arizona was one of seven swing states where a phony slate of electors sought to override the election result. In the Grand Canyon State, 11 Trump electors signed a document that was sent to Congress with a false avowal that they constituted Arizona’s official vote in the Electoral College — even though Biden won the state, meaning only Democratic electors counted.
