Arizona County Stumped By Some Ballots, State No Help

Following the Nov. 8 midterm elections, officials in Pima County, Ariz., struggled to determine how to handle provisional ballots cast by unregistered voters, discrepant provisional ballot totals, and ballots cast by voters with old addresses — even asking the secretary of state’s office for guidance.
The confusion and uncertainty clouding county election officials’ decision-making are revealed in newly released internal emails obtained through a public records request submitted by America First Legal Foundation.
A week after Election Day, Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cazares-Kelly wrote to Pima County Elections Director Constance Hargrove that the Recorder’s Office found that 11 unregistered voters had cast provisional ballots but was unsure what to do about them because her office was “not normally in possession of the Provisional Ballots and my team is very opposed to opening them.”
In reply, Hargrove sidestepped responsibility, writing to the recorder, “It is your call how you want to handle the provisional ballots.”

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