Name: Arizona election updates: Biden holds lead as Maricopa County updates results
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Arizona election updates: Biden holds lead as Maricopa County updates results

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Arizona RepublicView CommentsIt's Monday, and America has elected a president. Arizona is still counting its votes.&nbsp;Follow along for updates throughout the day&nbsp;from&nbsp;Arizona Republic reporters.SEE WHO WON: President-elect Joe Biden maintained his lead over President Donald Trump in Arizona on Monday evening as Maricopa County posted more results. Before the latest release of ballots, Biden led the president&nbsp; by 14,886 votes overall in the state. Now, he leads by 14,746.Trump picked up 140 votes over Biden in Maricopa County out of about 6,250 additional votes counted.The state estimates Arizona's counties have about 61,500 ballots left to verify and count, and many of those are provisional ballots that may or may not ultimately be verified.Republican Stephen Richer grew his lead over incumbent Democrat Adrian Fontes in the Maricopa County recorder’s race as Maricopa County posted more results Monday evening.Jevin Hodge in the Southeast Valley’s District 1 leads in a tight Maricopa County Board of Supervisors race against Jack Sellers. Hodge is ahead&nbsp;by 963 votes as Maricopa County posted more results Monday evening.In the next-closest Board of Supervisors&nbsp;race, Incumbent Bill Gates in the North Valley’s District 3 leads Whitney Walker by 5,190 votes.Incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., continues to lead Republican Tiffany Shedd in returns in the District 1 U.S. House race. He is more than 12,200&nbsp;votes ahead after Monday's results were reported, but the race has not yet been called by the Associated Press.In Arizona Legislative District 28, Democrat Christine Marsh and incumbent Republican Kate Brophy McGee continued to battle in a tight race, with Marsh up by 631 votes.The counting of ballots continues in Maricopa County, with the next batch of results expected around 7 p.m. Monday.As of the last release of results at 4 p.m. Sunday, the county still had about 38,000 ballots to count, including about 22,000 early ballots and about 16,000 provisional ballots.Even before those ballots, voter turnout in Maricopa County was at about 79.4%, with about 2.06 million ballots cast.— Jen FifieldA protest continued for the sixth consecutive day outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in downtown Phoenix, although the crowd dwindled from its peak of a few hundred down to a few dozen.At one point a man led the group to listen to a Christian worship song, “How Great is Our God” by Chris Tomlin. The group also danced to “Y.M.C.A.”— Kaila White will make their case in front of a Maricopa County Superior Court judge at 9:30 a.m.&nbsp;Thursday.The defendants — Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes and the Maricopa&nbsp;County Board of Supervisors — will also have a chance to produce evidence and make oral arguments, according to Judge Daniel Kiley.President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign filed the&nbsp;lawsuit Saturday,&nbsp;alongside the Republican National Committee and&nbsp;the Arizona Republican Party. The complaint claims Maricopa County poll workers disregarded procedures designed to give voters a&nbsp;chance to correct ballot mistakes, possibly affecting final vote counts.Its central claim involves “overvotes,” which happen when voters mark more options than allowed in a particular race. Because stray markings and other irregularities can cause Maricopa County tabulation machines to perceive an overvote, the tabulators are programmed to alert voters when that happens.A voter then has two choices: “Spoil” the ballot and request a replacement, or cast the original ballot with the warning that overvotes may not be counted.The lawsuit says voters who choose to proceed with their original ballots are entitled to a manual&nbsp;inspection of their ballots later and contends some poll workers urged voters to cast their ballots without further review.&nbsp;It calls for officials to identify and inspect Election Day ballots from Maricopa County that contain&nbsp;apparent "irregularities in connection with the voter’s selection of a candidate."In a preliminary hearing held Monday, Roopali Desai, an attorney representing the Secretary of State’s Office,&nbsp;described the lawsuit as “an effort to find a&nbsp;problem when one does not exist.”She noted the Republican Party had set up a website to solicit affidavits from voters or poll workers —&nbsp;undermining, she said, “the entire process and the very hard work of the many many people who are administering&nbsp;the election … and the voters themselves” — and argued the relief sought by the Trump campaign may not be possible under state law.Thomas Liddy, representing Maricopa County, said the plaintiffs had offered “very little evidence” to support the idea of a&nbsp;systematic problem. Noting the lawsuit's claim that thousands of Trump votes could be going uncounted, he countered:&nbsp;“Under that theory, you’d also see thousands of votes for the Democratic candidate” going uncounted.“There were 155,860 votes voted in person on Election Day (in Maricopa County),” Liddy continued. “Of those, the&nbsp;tabulator only identified 180 potential overvotes on the presidential line … 180, that’s it.”And he said it would be “absurd” to assume that all 180 were incorrectly deemed overvotes.“There is no possibility of systematic error with only 180 out of 155,860,” he said.Thursday’s hearing will be held virtually. The court had not released dial-in information as of Monday evening.— Maria PollettaSenate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, called Monday for “an independent expert to evaluate all data related to the tabulation of votes” in the general election but said she was not claiming there has been any fraud.“Assuming the allegations of fraud are without merit, an independent analysis would help to restore credibility and hopefully end the current controversy over fairness in the election process in Arizona,” Fann wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.The Senate president specifically called on the secretary of state to “make available all data and the logic and accuracy tests,” referring in the latter instance to the process of certifying the accuracy of election equipment before each election.Fann also said she supports Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s proposal to expand the scope of the hand count audit in Maricopa County that is routinely conducted after an election.“I am not claiming fraud was involved in Arizona's election, but we must do everything we can to satisfy Arizonans that the count was lawfully done,” Fann said in a statement.Logic and accuracy tests are already open to the public.And the Maricopa County Elections Department said Monday it had completed a hand count audit and had a 100% match in a process overseen by members of three political parties.While Fann did not allege any wrongdoing, several Republican legislators have been pushing conspiracy theories seeking to undermine the results of last week’s election, which generally went very well for GOP lawmakers.The Secretary of State’s Office said Monday afternoon that it would send a formal response to the Senate president.“President Fann can rest assured that the integrity of this election is protected and we can and will provide available public records,” said Sophia Solis, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office.— Andrew OxfordThe Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced the dismissal of marijuana possession charges with the .All pending and unfiled charges of possession of marijuana and any associated paraphernalia charges that are before the office will be dismissed. Cases include those in early disposition, diversion, pending trial and those set for sentencing or probation violation hearings.Prosecutors are being instructed to file motions to dismiss any .“If those charges make up the entirety of the charges of the case, the entire case will be dismissed,” said office spokesperson Jennifer Liewer, spokeswoman for the office stated. “If there are other felony charges the case will remain pending, but we will file motions to dismiss the charges covered by Proposition 207.”— Lauren CastleAfter a tight race, Maricopa County Attorney candidate Julie Gunnigle conceded on Monday.The Democrat said in a statement she has no regrets for her “bold campaign.” She was the first female to be the party’s candidate for county attorney since at least 1996.“I want to thank the voters of Arizona. The record turnout in this election gives me renewed confidence in our democracy and the institutions of our nation,” Gunnigle said in a statement. “Together we will continue the march of progress towards a stronger, more united America.”Gunnigle said the county attorney’s office continues to perpetuate racial disparities in policing and prosecution.“This office needs change, and while we could not close the gap, the conversation with the voters of Maricopa County will continue,” she said. “Forty-nine percent of Maricopa County voters supported our bold vision of reform.”Gunnigle said Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel’s family is in her thoughts while the leader of the office is in the hospital. . She had emergency surgery for bleeding to the brain and is in stable, but serious condition.Adel’s campaign said it is grateful for Maricopa County voters and thanked Gunnigle for “a hard-fought and spirited campaign.”Lorna Romero, spokesperson for the Adel campaign, said the county needs strong and ethical leadership within the criminal justice system.“Allister has focused on creating a culture driven by ethical excellence and making the right decisions for the right reasons each day, but there is more work to be done,” she stated. “We must remain vigilant to ensure each person is treated fairly and equally in our criminal justice system, and that we are holding criminals accountable.”In a statement, Adel’s family thanked the public for its support and giving them privacy during the recovery process.“This community is an amazing place, filled with compassionate people. During a week where so many have disagreed, we appreciate that so many came together to offer support for Allister.”— Lauren CastleA Maricopa County Superior Court judge has ordered Arizona election officials to appear at a preliminary hearing on Monday afternoon in response to a lawsuit alleging county poll workers&nbsp;"incorrectly rejected" votes cast in person&nbsp;on Election Day.The&nbsp;&nbsp;— filed by President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, along with the Republican National Committee and the Arizona Republican Party&nbsp;— claims poll workers disregarded procedures meant to ensure voters who make mistakes on their ballots aren't disenfranchised, possibly affecting&nbsp;final vote counts in the battleground state.&nbsp;It names Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors as defendants.&nbsp;Under Arizona law, voters whose ballots are recognized as having “irregularities” by tabulation machines can choose to “spoil” the ballot and request a new one or cast the original ballot.&nbsp;According to the lawsuit, voters who choose to proceed with their original ballots are entitled to a manual inspection of their ballots later, but some poll workers urged voters to cast their ballots without further review.&nbsp;Plaintiffs believe the practice could’ve resulted in legitimate votes not being cast, despite the Republican-led&nbsp;Maricopa County Attorney's Office disputing the idea that votes were scrapped without voters having a say.&nbsp;The lawsuit calls for&nbsp;officials to identify and reinspect Election Day ballots from Maricopa County that contain apparent "irregularities in connection with the voter’s selection of a candidate."Judge Daniel&nbsp;Kiley has ordered all parties and their representatives to appear before him virtually at 3 p.m. Monday.&nbsp;— Maria PollettaDavid Bossie, the adviser overseeing post-election legal challenges on behalf of the president’s reelection campaign, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, according to Bloomberg News.&nbsp;Three days earlier, he’d appeared alongside U.S. Reps. Debbie Lesko and Paul Gosar, Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward, former Arizona Treasurer Jeff DeWit and former U.S. Rep. John Shadegg — all Republicans — at a Phoenix news conference.&nbsp;The officials, none of whom wore masks,&nbsp;vowed to deliver Arizona to President Donald Trump and promised a fight “to the very end" at the event.&nbsp;The Trump campaign has since filed at least two election-related challenges in Arizona.&nbsp;— Maria PollettaMaricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes, who helps oversee elections, , although the race is tightening.Richer, a Republican, has 1,928 more votes than Fontes out of more than 2 million ballots cast,&nbsp;as of the most recent results, released 4 p.m. Sunday.That's a smaller lead than Richer had on Saturday, when he first took the lead over Fontes.More results are expected at about 7 p.m. Monday.—&nbsp;Jen Fifield&nbsp;The counting of ballots continues in Maricopa County, with the next batch of results expected around 7 p.m. Monday.As of the last release of results at 4 p.m. Sunday, the county still had about 38,000 ballots to count, including about 22,000 early ballots and about 16,000 provisional ballots.Even before those ballots, voter turnout in Maricopa County was at about 79.4%, with about 2.06 million ballots cast.— Jen FifieldGov. Doug Ducey on Monday morning again urged patience as elections officials throughout the state worked to count an estimated 80,000 outstanding ballots.&nbsp;"We’ve been through this drill before in Arizona," the Republican governor said in a statement, noting that&nbsp;Arizonans have "already seen the outcome of races change to a dramatic degree.""Making it easy to vote and hard to cheat has also resulted in time-consuming efforts to ensure the integrity of our elections," he said.&nbsp;Unlike President Donald Trump, Ducey has refused to actively sow doubt about the legitimacy of Arizona's election process.&nbsp;But&nbsp;he's also stopped short of stating there's been no evidence of election-related fraud, as Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs repeatedly has.The Trump campaign has filed at least two legal challenges in Arizona: One based on claims that voters’ ballots did not count if they used a Sharpie to cast their votes, which have been thoroughly debunked, and another contending Maricopa County poll workers "incorrectly rejected" votes cast in person on Election Day.&nbsp;The Sharpie lawsuit was dismissed Saturday."The President, just like any other candidate, has the right to all available legal challenges and remedies, and we are confident they will be properly adjudicated," Ducey said Monday.&nbsp;"We will respect the election results."— Maria PollettaAppearing on "The View" Monday morning, Cindy McCain, the widow of Arizona Sen. John McCain who endorsed Joe Biden for president, said she was impressed with Biden's speech Saturday night."I loved every second of it," McCain said. "I actually watched and rewatched it online." about a variety of topics. She said she hopes President Donald Trump will concede the election — they played a clip of John McCain's concession speech when he lost to Barack Obama in 2008.&nbsp;She also talked about Mark Kelly's victory in the U.S. Senate race in Arizona and its shifting political status.McCain also said that her role on Biden's transition team is to find appropriate places for Republicans in his administration.— Bill GoodykoontzJoe Biden, the former vice president, won a bitterly fought contest for president on Saturday, and a number of other competitive Arizona races were determined over the weekend.Arizona Republic reporters&nbsp;will&nbsp;analyze the big events and discuss what's still to be decided in an election show at noon on Monday.&nbsp;The show, "Battleground Arizona 2020 Election Analysis,"&nbsp;will livestream&nbsp;on&nbsp;. You also can find it on&nbsp;.&nbsp;— The Arizona Republic&nbsp;Cindy McCain, the widow of Arizona Sen. John McCain who made national news by endorsing Joe Biden for president, is scheduled to appear on "The View" on Monday morning.She is, of course, also the mother of Meghan McCain, one of the show's co-hosts. "The View" airs at 10 a.m. on Channel 15 (KNXV).— Bill GoodykoontzPresident-elect Joe &nbsp;and it includes Rick Bright, a former Trump administration whistleblower who resigned amid allegations his early warnings over the pandemic were ignored.The task force, a group&nbsp;of public health experts – almost all doctors – will offer guidance to Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their coronavirus staff as they prepare to take over the presidency. The board's composition could be an indicator of the Biden administration's&nbsp;intent to follow a more science-based coronavirus approach.In Arizona, identified COVID-19 cases rose by 1,996 on Friday to 254,764, and known deaths were at 6,109,&nbsp;according to the&nbsp;daily report&nbsp;from&nbsp;the Arizona Department of Health Services.Coronavirus has&nbsp;claimed the lives of more than 230,000 Americans and the Trump administration has not unveiled any kind of national lockdown or test-and-trace strategy, leaving it up to individual states to figure out how to keep the virus at bay.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts,” Biden said in a statement on his transition website. "The advisory board will help shape my approach to managing the surge in reported infections; ensuring vaccines are safe, effective, and distributed efficiently, equitably, and free; and protecting at-risk populations."The task force is Biden's first major transition announcement. It comes as Vice President Mike Pence will lead a separate White House coronavirus task force meeting&nbsp;Monday.— Kim Hjelmgaard/USA Today, Stephanie Innes Senator-elect Mark Kelly is in Washington,&nbsp;D.C. for new senator orientation. He can take office as soon as Arizona’s election results are certified.Kelly unseated incumbent Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz.,&nbsp;in Tuesday’s special election to fill the vacancy left by the 2018 death of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Kelly will fill the final two years of McCain’s term, which expires in 2023.McSally had&nbsp;not yet issued a concession for a&nbsp;sixth&nbsp;day.Kelly will serve alongside Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the moderate Democrat who beat McSally during her first Senate run for the state’s other seat in 2018. They will become the first Democratic duo to represent Arizona in the Senate since Sens. Carl Hayden and Ernest McFarland served together in the 1940s and early 1950s., Kelly reiterated his campaign pledge to work alongside Republicans and Democrats to advance issues most important to everyday Arizonans, namely the issues of health care, insurance coverage for people with preexisting medical conditions, climate change&nbsp;and protecting Social Security.&nbsp;“I value independence and I value and I respect the way that John McCain did the job and also the way my wife, Gabby, did the job, working across the aisle, trying to get the politics and the partisanship out of the decision-making,” he said.— Yvonne Wingett SanchezView Comments

Arizona RepublicView CommentsIt's Monday, and America has elected a president. Arizona is still counting its votes.&nbsp;Follow along for updates throughout the day&nbsp;from&nbsp;Arizona Republic reporters.SEE WHO WON: President-elect Joe Biden maintained his lead over President Donald Trump in Arizona on Monday evening as Maricopa County posted more results. Before the latest release of ballots, Biden led the president&nbsp; by 14,886 votes overall in the state. Now, he leads by 14,746.Trump picked up 140 votes over Biden in Maricopa County out of about 6,250 additional votes counted.The...

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Arizona election updates: Biden holds lead as Maricopa County updates results

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