MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Kari Lake has lost two trials related to the election. Now she’s in the middle of a third.
The former candidate for governor sued Maricopa County to gain access to copies of voter signatures on mail-in ballot affidavits.
“It’s in the best interest of the people of this state to be able to understand what is taking place in their elections,” said Bryan Blehm, attorney for Lake.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Kari Lake perdió 2 juicios relacionados con la elección. Se encuentra en el tercero
County Recorder Stephen Richer testified Thursday the voting affidavit and all information on it are protected by the Constitution. Richer said he’s legally obligated to protect it. Asked if he would have concerns about the signatures being made public, Richer said he worried about bad actors using them to commit fraud or disrupt elections.
“It’s not just people in our community who might have a legitimate purpose. It might be anyone in the world, from Russia to China,” Richer said.
Blehm argued a person’s signature is commonly distributed in society, from property titles to credit card receipts.
Richer said the “latest version” of a person’s signature should be closely guarded by the county because it is the last step used by election officials to verify a voter’s identity.
“For decades county recorders have thought of the signature as private, like your social, and birthdate. But now there’s a challenge to that saying in state law that might not actually be protected,” said Jen Fifield, who reports for the nonprofit newsroom Vote Beat
Lake has a history of spreading election lies.
Attorney Tom Ryan represents a former election official who was harassed as a result of false election conspiracies.
“This isn’t about getting to an important question that may help Arizona have a safer election process,” Ryan said. “This is about getting data of election workers and voters so they can be harassed and that’s a real concern.”
The trial resumes Monday with more witnesses and closing arguments.
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