GOP lawmakers are pressuring this county to hand count ballots in 2024 election

First, it was Cochise County.

Then, Mohave County.

On Wednesday, Republican Sens. Sonny Borrelli and Wendy Rogers made Pinal County their third stop on a tour to convince supervisors in GOP-majority counties across Arizona to agree to hand count ballots.

Throughout an hour-long presentation and discussion, they urged Pinal County supervisors to manually tabulate results in next year's elections, which include a Republican presidential preference election in March, a primary for other races in August and the general election in November.

They echoed election conspiracies that have repeatedly been proven false and play into unfounded fears of illegitimate elections — even as they claimed to be "presenting facts."

"This is why we have a border invasion," Rogers said. "This is why we have a dying economy. This is why we have filth in our schools. This is why our children are being subject to trafficking. This is why metropolitan areas especially are in decline. All of this stems from elections."

They framed the issue as an apolitical matter of national security, repeating many of the same talking points they used in Mohave County, while also criticizing Gov. Katie Hobbs and other Democrats for blocking many election-related bills proposed by conservatives during the recent legislative session.

"Our detractors like to throw everything out but the kitchen sink and hope something sticks," Borrelli said.

Rogers promised county supervisors they could be leaders in a "county-by-county reclaiming of our elections."

"There are only 15 counties in Arizona," Rogers said. "You are the implementers of elections. You are standing at a pivotal point in history."

They sang the praises of manual tabulation, even though trials have shown that hand counting is less accurate, more expensive and far slower than counting with tabulators.

A report from Mohave County concluded that it would take one group of seven people about 657 eight-hour days to tally all of the 105,000 ballots cast in the 2020 General Election, not including the extra time needed to correct any errors or to consider votes for write-in candidates. The effort could cost upward of $1 million, said Mohave County Elections Director Allen Tempert.

2024 election: Mohave County votes down hand count of ballots

Borrelli said Tempert's model for counting wasn't the most efficient and didn't consider the number of people who would likely volunteer to participate in such an effort. Still, other tests of hand counting have come to similar conclusions.

Former Pinal County Elections Director Geraldine Roll began a trial hand count of 2,000 test ballots from the 2022 election before abruptly leaving her position. She found that each batch of 25 ballots took her team about 80 minutes to count.

Amid the Arizona Senate's high-profile "audit" of the 2020 presidential race results in Maricopa County, Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan admitted in text messages that he couldn't accurately tally a hand count of the county's 2.1 million ballots, noting that the numbers were "screwy."

Wednesday's presentation in Florence comes after Borrelli authored a letter to leaders of all 15 Arizona counties demanding they cease using current tabulation machines to count ballots, citing a non-binding legislative resolution passed with Republican-only support earlier this year.

That move had no legal foundation, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said, and Borrelli's argument was criticized even by some Republican colleagues. Borelli's letter echoed legislation he sponsored, Senate Bill 1074, which Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed in April.

Will Pinal County take the plunge?

In Mohave County, the lawmakers' visit didn't work. Less than 24 hours before the state lawmakers appeared in Florence, supervisors in Kingman voted 3-2 against a plan to tabulate votes in 2024 manually.

Meanwhile, a legal battle continues to rage over whether Cochise County can do a full hand recount of its 2022 election results.

When Pinal County previously considered an expanded hand count of ballots cast in the November election, supervisors unanimously voted it down.

But the county still might be ripe for a plan to hand count ballots next year. Nearly every board meeting in recent months has included a plea for hand counting from at least one speaker during public comment. Wednesday was no different, with nearly 20 people taking the podium.

Most were in favor, and many associated themselves with the Pinal County Republican Committee. A handful, some who identified themselves as Democrats, spoke against the idea of hand-counting ballots.

Races for supervisor seats, county recorder and county attorney are on the ballot for 2024. Republicans hold all those positions, and most are expected to run for reelection.

Mohave County supervisors, voting against a hand count on Tuesday, noted that their county had experienced a smooth election in 2022, unlike Maricopa County, which saw widespread printer issues on Election Day that didn't impact results but led to lines and voter frustration.

"I just don't understand why you're here and not down there when we've never really had a problem with our elections," said Mohave County Board of Supervisors Chairman Travis Lingenfelter.

Pinal County officials can't make the same claim. They encountered several election mishaps last year, including a 500-vote undercount discovered during a recount of two statewide races with tight margins. The undercount didn't change the results of the races but added fuel to election integrity conspiracies and heightened concerns about election administration in the county.

"This would give our voters the reassurance that we have done everything that we could to make sure our elections are safe and have integrity," said Pinal County Republican Committee Chair Belinda Rodriguez.

What's next for hand counting proposals in Pinal County?

The lawmakers' presentation was met with a mix of reactions from Pinal County supervisors.

Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh, who previously sought the expanded hand count of ballots, said he is "not confident" in machine counts and suggested that manual tabulation is feasible in 2024.

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"I bet you in a week that I could come up with a system that counts faster than Mohave County," he said.

His colleagues appeared less convinced. Supervisors Stephen Miller and Mike Goodman said they'd like more information about the legality of hand counting and advocated for waiting to see how Cochise County's legal battle plays out before making any decisions.

Miller also noted that the county needs an elections director to replace Roll before it goes "very far with anything." So far, an elections director with significant experience in Arizona has been difficult to find, according to Pinal County Recorder Dana Lewis.

Supervisor Jeffrey McClure seemed to be the least enthusiastic about a hand count. He brought up logistical difficulties like slow counting and the need for manpower.

"I'm not saying that there's no way to do it," he said. "I'm just pointing out that the numbers are massive."

Ultimately, the meeting ended without any immediate directives to staff from the supervisors. They said they aren't requesting a formal report on the feasibility of a hand count — yet.

Nevertheless, they agreed they would plan to hold another discussion on the matter, likely next month.

As the hand count discussion drew to a close, Rogers made a last-minute promise to county officials.

"We are strong and united in this," she said. "So if you get sued — expect it because that's the tenor of the times — we will back you up."

Sasha Hupka covers Maricopa County, Pinal County and regional issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share on elections or voting? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SashaHupka.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: GOP lawmakers Borelli and Rogers pressure Pinal County to hand count