Despite Pinal County’s Elections Being “Plagued With Problems That Hand-Counting Ballots [Would] Not Solve,” Cavanaugh Pushed For Hand Counting All 2024 Ballots, But Later Acknowledged He’s Not An Elections Expert.
An Investigation By Votebeat Found That Human Error Played A Role In Pinal County’s Midterm Election Miscount. “After human error in Pinal County’s midterm election caused officials to initially fail to count hundreds of ballots, the county’s supervisors now want to try counting ballots by hand. The county’s midterm mistakes weren’t caused by ballot tabulation machines, but rather because workers programmed machines incorrectly and overlooked machine errors as votes went uncounted. A Votebeat investigation published earlier this month found the county lacked procedures to properly track ballots cast at voting locations on Election Day and election officials didn’t adhere to safeguards to ensure each ballot was counted.” [Votebeat, 5/25/23]
In November 2022, Cavanaugh Proposed Increasing “The Number Of Hand-Counted Precincts, But He Eventually Ended Up Voting Against His Own Measure After Input From The Public,” But He “Started By Bringing Up Questions Of Tabulation Machine Reliability And Said He Wanted To Ensure A ‘Statistically Valid’ Check With Hand Counts.”
In November 2022, “Pinal County Board Of Supervisors Proposed, Then Unanimously Rejected A Motion To Expand The County’s Hand Count Of Ballots.” “On Nov. 3, Pinal County Board of Supervisors proposed, then unanimously rejected a motion to expand the county’s hand count of ballots.” [Arizona Capitol Times, 11/11/22]
Cavanaugh Brought Forward A Motion “To Increase The Number Of Hand-Counted Precincts, But He Eventually Ended Up Voting Against His Own Measure After Input From The Public.” “Pinal County Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh brought a motion forward to increase the number of hand-counted precincts, but he eventually ended up voting against his own measure after input from the public.” [Arizona Capitol Times, 11/11/22]
In Discussing Hand Counts, “Cavanaugh Started By Bringing Up Questions Of Tabulation Machine Reliability And Said He Wanted To Ensure A ‘Statistically Valid’ Check With Hand Counts.” “Cavanaugh started by bringing up questions of tabulation machine reliability and said he wanted to ensure a ‘statistically valid’ check with hand counts. Members of the board also said they had received ‘hundreds’ of emails requesting no machines and urging a full hand count.” [Arizona Capitol Times, 11/11/22]
At The Time, Cavanaugh “Made It Clear He Was Not Seeking An All-Out Hand Count.” “Cavanaugh acknowledged the Cochise County lawsuit and made it clear he was not seeking an all-out hand count.” [Arizona Capitol Times, 11/11/22]
Cavanaugh’s Hand-Count Measure Was Opposed By Local Groups Who Said The Hand Count Was Aimed To Appease, “People Who Did Not Believe In Facts,” And “A Fringe Movement Of Election Deniers.”
The Hand Count Measure Was Opposed By All Voting Is Local, League Of Women Voters And Rural Arizona Action, Who Said The Hand Count’s Was Aimed To Appease, “People Who Did Not Believe In Facts,” And “A Fringe Movement Of Election Deniers. “All Voting is Local, League of Women Voters and Rural Arizona Action spoke against the measure, saying the hand count’s aim was to appease, ‘people who did not believe in facts,’ and ‘a fringe movement of election deniers.’” [Arizona Capitol Times, 11/11/22]
Serdy Supported A Trial Hand-Count Of Ballots To “See How It Would Go” After “Months Of Requests From Residents Who Want The County To Hand-Count Ballots.”
HEADLINE: “After Botching Election Results, Pinal County Wants To Try Hand-Counting Ballots.” [AZ Mirror, 5/25/23]
In May 2023, Serdy Said That The County Was Doing A Trial Hand-Count To “See How It Would Go.” “Supervisors Chairman Jeff Serdy told Votebeat on Wednesday that the county is planning to do a trial hand-count using a sampling of ballots cast by voters in 2022 ‘to see how it would go.’ Supervisor Mike Goodman told Votebeat he supports the plan.” [AZ Mirror, 5/25/23]
On August 2, 2023, The Pinal County Supervisors “Considered Moving Forward With Their Own Hand Count Plan.” “More rural counties toyed with the prospect of hand counting ballots in the 2024 election this week, on the urging of two state lawmakers, a handful of board members and constituents with election trust issues. [...] In a meeting today, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors considered moving forward with their own hand count plan.” [Arizona Capitol Times, 8/2/23]
On October 11, 2022, David Stevens Presented To The Cochise County Board Of Supervisors A Method By Which A Hand-Count Vote Could Take Place. [Cochise County, accessed 8/24/23]
On October 24, 2022, Before The 2022 General Election, David Stevens Supported An Order For A Hand Count Of All Ballots Cast In The 2022 General Election By The Cochise County Board Of Supervisors.[Cochise County, accessed 8/23/23]
On October 25, 2022, Before The 2022 General Election, The Cochise County Board Of Supervisors Approved $1 Million From The Arizona Department Of Administration To Be Used To Develop Ballot Paper With Ballot Fraud Countermeasures, Which Was Requested By Stevens. [Cochise County, accessed 8/23/23]
Mohave County Overcame A $4 Million Deficit For The 2024 Budget, But Faces $18 Million Deficit In 2025; Property Taxes Increased By 5.2%.
In The 2025 Fiscal Year, Mohave County Will Likely Face A $18.5 Million Budget Deficit, Prompting Supervisor Buster Johnson To Propose An 18% Budget Cut And A Hiring Freeze. “Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson wants the county to consider an 18% budget cut and hiring freezes as a possible answer to a predicted budget deficit during the 2025 fiscal year. ‘If nothing changes, we may not have enough money coming in to continue to fund county operations,’ Johnson said in his proposal. The Mohave County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday held its first in a series of monthly budgetary meetings, intended to address solutions and cost-saving measures to counter a predicted $18.5 million budgetary deficit during the 2025 fiscal year.” [Mohave Valley Daily News, 8/20/23]
The Mohave County Board Overcame A $4 Million Deficit For The 2024 Budget, But The Board Worries There Will Be A $18 Million Deficit For Next Year. “The Mohave County Board of Supervisors balanced this year’s budget this week, and overcame an initial $4 million deficit for the 2024 fiscal year. But with a possible $18 million deficit predicted for next year, not all of the board’s members are satisfied with this year’s budget.” [Mohave Valley Daily News, 7/20/23]
After Discussing The County’s Budget Shortfall, Supervisors Supported Exploring Hand Counting Election, Disregarding Election Director’s Concerns.
The Mohave County Elections Director Explained That “Hand Counting Is Extremely Difficult To Do Accurately, Would Take Weeks, And Would Be Extraordinarily Costly.” “The Mohave supervisors voted to hand-count ballots even after their own elections director explained to them, in detail, why it wouldn’t work. Allen Tempert, who has been the county’s elections director for more than two decades, told the supervisors hand counting is extremely difficult to do accurately, would take weeks, and would be extraordinarily costly. Election experts and numerous studies have also found hand-counting ballots to be far less accurate and less efficient.” [AZ Mirror, 6/7/23]
Supervisors Voted 3-2 Against Conducting Hand-Count After Test Run Showed Costs Over $1 Million, More Than Yearly Election Budget.
Mohave County Supervisors Voted 3-2 Against Conducting A Hand-Count After A Test Run Showed “It Would Cost More Than A Million Dollars.” “An Arizona county has decided not to hand-count its ballots in next year’s elections, after discovering that it would cost more than a million dollars and leave it with inaccurate results. The all-Republican Board of Supervisors in Mohave County voted 3-2 against forgoing ballot-counting machines in favor of hand-counting in 2024, after months of debate, questions on the legality, and a three-day test run.” [NBC News, 8/2/23]
Following The 2020 Election, Election Deniers And Republicans Across The Country Have Pushed For Getting Rid Of Election Machines In Favor Of Hand Counting Ballots. “It's a common refrain from election deniers and the Republicans who support them this election cycle: Get rid of the machines. According to many conspiracy theorists, the 2020 election was stolen by an algorithm, therefore if you take computers out of the voting process you can further secure your election.” [NPR, 10/7/22]
After Counties In Arizona Floated Hand Counting Their Ballots, It Was Discovered The Process Would “Cost More Than A Million Dollars And Leave It With Inaccurate Results.” “An Arizona county has decided not to hand-count its ballots in next year’s elections, after discovering that it would cost more than a million dollars and leave it with inaccurate results.” [NBC News, 8/2/23]
Elections Experts Oppose Hand-Counting Ballots As “It Takes Longer Than Counting With Machines, It’s Less Reliable, And It’s A Logistical Nightmare For U.S. Elections.” “Why do election experts oppose hand-counting ballots? It takes longer than counting with machines, it’s less reliable, and it’s a logistical nightmare for U.S. elections. A growing number of Republican lawmakers have pushed for switching to hand-counts, an argument rooted in false conspiracy theories that voting systems were manipulated to steal the 2020 election.” [AP, 11/3/23]
The Arizona State Court Of Appeals Ruled In October 2023 That Arizona Counties “Are Prohibited From Conducting Full Hand Counts In An Election.” “The state Court of Appeals has ruled Wednesday that Arizona’s counties are prohibited from conducting full hand counts in an election.” [KJZZ, 10/18/23]