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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
A state judge in Arizona has ruled on a request by 2022 GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake to personally review ballot envelope signatures following her loss to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
In September, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah presided over a short two-day trial to determine whether Lake’s legal team should be granted access to the ballots in order to determine if they were valid. But on Thursday, Hannah turned down the request, concluding it “would have a corrosive effect on public confidence in the electoral process.”
Hobbs defeated Lake by less than 1 percent.
Lake went to court after Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer denied her request to inspect the ballot signatures in April. In September, Richer took to the X platform to claim he was defending voter privacy and election security by denying Lake’s request.
“I believe these envelopes are not public record according to state statute. And I believe that making them public would have a chilling effect on voting, would weaken the security controls on early voting, and would open…
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