Arizona’s top election official demands probe into Kari Lake over published voter signatures

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is asking for an investigation into Kari Lake’s launch of voter signatures on social media, accusing her of probably violating state regulation. 

“I’m writing as we speak to ask you to research and take applicable enforcement motion in opposition to Kari Lake for potential violations of Arizona regulation dedicated beneath her Twitter deal with,” Fontes, a Democrat, wrote in a letter to state Legal professional Common Kris Mayes despatched on Monday. 

Fontes argues that Arizona regulation “prohibits posting any data derived from voter registration types or precinct registers to the web” and nobody apart from the voter or a licensed particular person might reproduce a voter’s signature.  

“A violation of this provision is a Class 6 felony,” Fontes writes. 

Lake, a Republican and former native TV information anchor who was defeated by Democrat Katie Hobbs in Arizona’s 2022 gubernatorial contest, posted the 16 signatures from 2020 ballots in a Jan. 23 tweet the place she claimed they have been a part of a “bombshell discovery” of allegedly mismatched signatures that ought to not have been counted.

Regardless of dropping the Arizona race by greater than 17,000 votes, Lake has refused to just accept the outcomes of the election. 

She has appealed a December ruling by an Arizona decide who discovered there was no clear or convincing proof of misconduct within the 2022 election and affirmed Hobbs’ victory.

Lake additionally held a “Save Arizona Rally” in Scottsdale on Sunday the place she referred to Hobbs as a “squatter within the governor’s workplace.” Former President Donald Trump referred to as into the rally and declared it “a disgrace what occurred” through the November election, including that “in the end she’s going to be victorious.” 

In December, Lake dodged vital financial sanctions after a decide rejected pleas by Hobbs to search out the Republican chargeable for greater than $500,000 in legal professional charges. Arizona Superior Court docket Decide Peter Thompson nevertheless did rule that Lake should pay $33,000 for the professional witnesses employed by Hobbs in protection of her Nov. 8 election victory.