Election workers sort ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center on Nov. 9, 2022. Photo by John Moor || Getty Images
By Gloria Rebecca Gomez || Arizona Mirror
Fueled by election conspiracy theories and axes to grind against political opponents, Republican legislators gave initial approval to a slate of bills on Wednesday that served as veiled rebukes against the 2022 midterm elections and the officials who oversaw them.
Democrats and Republicans clashed over the insinuation that Gov. Katie Hobbs, who served as Secretary of State during the November midterms she won her seat in, behaved improperly when she refused to recuse herself from her duties. House Bill 2308 would bar any future secretary of state from handling any part of an election they are a candidate in.
“There’s a lack of confidence from some of my constituents in the election itself. I think the optics of that – of a secretary of state running their own election for governor and then certifying that election was a major concern,” said Rep. Rachel Jones, R-Tucson.
In Arizona, secretaries of state oversee elections and give guidance on how they should be carried out, but the actual job of conducting elections — including counting results — rests with the 15 counties. Once all results are finalized by the counties, the secretary of state and governor formally certify the election.
