Pima County Splits Down Party Lines To Certify Election Results

TUCSON, AZ — The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to certify its state and local election results, but it was not unanimous.

The ultimate 3-2 vote on Tuesday was split down party lines, with the board's three Democratic members voting to certify and its two Republicans — District 4 Supervisor Steve Christy and District 1 Ally Miller — voting no. The deadline for county certification, which is a requirement after each election, is Monday.

Arizona is set to certify all state election results on Nov. 30.

Christy and Miller did not immediately respond to Patch's requests for comment, but local news outlet KGUN reported that Christy asked for a forensic audit of the results and Miller was concerned about the use of sharpies at Maricopa County voting centers during the canvass.

Arizona’s Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich conducted an investigation and found the use of the markers did not compromise the vote. A lawsuit challenging their use was dismissed by the attorneys who filed it. Maricopa County election officials have said sharpies were recommended by the company that made its tabulation machines because of how quickly they dry.

Christy recently won re-election on Nov. 3. Miller declined to run for a third term and will be replaced by Democrat Rex Scott, who flipped the seat blue, when her term ends on Dec. 31.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted to certify its election results on Friday. In northwestern Arizona, Mohave County officials postponed certification until Monday, while other counties pressed ahead to meet the deadline.

The five-member Mohave County Board of Supervisors, who are Republicans, unanimously approved the county’s election results after balking last week because of lawsuits being pursued by backers of President Donald Trump in Phoenix. Judges in Maricopa County rejected those efforts, although appeals and additional legal efforts are possible.

Biden won Arizona's 11 Electoral College votes after Democrats pinned their hopes on Arizona’s changing demographics and swing voters who split their tickets two years ago to elect a Republican governor and send a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.