By Mary Jo Pitzl |Arizona Republic
The Arizona Secretary of State is bound by law to certify election results, but one candidate for the seat said she would not have immediately done so with the 2020 election, in contrast with two of her opponents.
In a televised debate Wednesday, Republican candidate Shawnna Bolick, a state lawmaker from Phoenix, said she would have delayed certification until an audit was conducted.
“In my opinion, I would not have certified it at the time,” Bolick said of the official canvass of the 2020 election.
But the law compels the secretary to certify election results, absent an injunction, state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, said.
Businessman Beau Lane agreed. “I would have signed it,” he said of the official canvass. “It’s our constitutional duty.”
The three Republican candidates verbally wrestled over their visions for the state’s top elections office in a fast-paced debate with topics that ranged from ballot drop boxes to the merits of ending the permanent early voting list.
They also took jabs at the candidate who declined an invitation to the debate: state Rep. Mark Finchem, who has former President Trump’s endorsement and is an outspoken advocate that the 2020 election was stolen.
The primary election is Aug. 2 and early ballots will mail to voters starting July 6.
Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita looks off before a debate between candidates for the GOP nomination for Arizona Secretary of State at
Differences in views on elections
The debate showed fissures in the candidates’ views on election-related topics.
