After “Arizona GOP Leaders Spent Two Years Promoting Unfounded Claims About Compromised Vote-Counting Machines,” David Stevens Took On Their Efforts To Push For And Execute A Hand Count Of Ballots. “David Stevens had never supervised a ballot count. He didn’t know how he would count nearly 50,000 ballots by hand, who would help, or where he would find enough space to do it. But that didn’t dissuade him. Less than a month before the November election, Stevens, the Cochise County recorder, told the county supervisors he would be happy to try. Arizona GOP leaders had spent two years promoting unfounded claims about compromised vote-counting machines, and were scouring the state for a county that would willingly hand-count ballots. They found it in Cochise County, where Stevens grasped onto the idea, devised a plan, and stoked the sentiment starting to take hold locally.” [Arizona Mirror, 2/7/23]
Stevens “Has Close Connections With GOP State Leaders Who Have Worked To Upend Voting” And Spread Doubts About Election Integrity — Testing “The Boundaries Of State Law.” “Stevens, an affable former state lawmaker, is originally from Illinois but has spent enough time in rural Arizona to adopt a slight drawl and a penchant for Western wear. He has close connections with GOP state leaders who have worked to upend voting — including former Republican secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem — and a keen willingness to spread doubts about election security, experiment with proven processes, and test the boundaries of state law.” [Arizona Mirror, 2/7/23]
Both Stevens And Finchem Have Said They Believe “Mail Voting And Voting Machines Are Insecure.” “Finchem, whose campaign centered around the idea that elections are rigged, and Stevens both said they have been close for many years and share many views, such as a belief that mail voting and voting machines are insecure.” [Arizona Mirror, 2/7/23]
Stevens Is A Director Of A Mark Finchem-Run Nonprofit Called The Election Fairness Institute, But He Claimed He Has Not Yet Been Paid For Any Of His Work. “Since 2018, Stevens has been listed as a director for a nonprofit Finchem runs. He said he serves in a consulting role and has not yet been paid for any work he has done for the nonprofit.” [AZ Mirror, 2/7/23]
Stevens Has Been Called “A Close Ally” Of Mark Finchem. “Stevens, a close ally to Mark Finchem, pursued the county’s illegal plan to hand count midterm ballots and stands to take more control of elections there” [Arizona Mirror, 2/7/23]
Finchem Was “A Prolific Proponent Of The Lie” That Trump Lost The 2020 Election. “Finchem was a prolific proponent of the lie that former President Donald Trump lost his 2020 reelection because of widespread fraud, which has been repeatedly debunked by courts, election experts and Trump’s own attorney general.” [Associated Press, 3/06/23]
March 2023: An Arizona Judge Sanctioned Mark Finchem For His Lawsuit Challenging His Loss In Arizona’s 2022 Secretary Of State Election, Calling Finchem’s Lawsuit “Groundless And Not Brought In Good Faith.” “An Arizona judge has sanctioned former Republican secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem and his attorney over a lawsuit challenging his loss in last year’s election, saying the suit “was groundless and not brought in good faith. [...] While most of the election deniers who lose their races last year have conceded, three prominent Republicans in Arizona have not. Finchem, candidate for governor Kari Lake, and attorney general candidate Abraham Hamadeh have all filed unsuccessful lawsuits challenging their losses and have refused to concede, continuing to point to mishaps that courts have repeatedly said do not throw the results in doubt.” [Associated Press, 3/06/23]