A longtime west valley public servant is making good on a campaign promise in her new office.
Former U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko was sworn into the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for District 4 on Monday. In a post following the ceremony, Lesko said, “Honored to be sworn in today as your Maricopa County Supervisor. Thank you to the great people of the West Valley for your continued support! My priorities include public safety, election integrity and ensuring your taxpayer dollars are used wisely.”
Honored to be sworn in today as your Maricopa County Supervisor. Thank you to the great people of the West Valley for your continued support! My priorities include public safety, election integrity and ensuring your taxpayer dollars are used wisely. pic.twitter.com/sAjPt7LVxa
In her first address as a county supervisor, Lesko confirmed that she would be “pushing … for a comprehensive audit of the entire election system in Maricopa County” – as a part of her priority to safeguard election integrity in her jurisdiction, which she had promised voters on the campaign trail. Supervisor Lesko also clarified her strong desire that this audit would be undertaken by a “reputable firm.” She received applause from some members of the audience at the Board of Supervisors meeting – its first of the new year and term.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisor @DebbieLesko says she will be “pushing and have talked to people about it, for a compressive audit of the entire election system in Maricopa County…” @abc15pic.twitter.com/Hy8kpPKcLZ
The new chairman of the Board, Supervisor Thomas Galvin, announced that he and his colleagues would, in fact, spearhead a “comprehensive review” of Maricopa County’s elections this year to “ensure we are operating at optimum quality.”
BREAKING: Maricopa County supervisors will commission a "comprehensive audit" of the county's election system this year, new Chairman @ThomasGalvin announces.
Supervisor @DebbieLesko says she wants this done by a "reputable firm."
Supervisor Lesko also noted her call late last year with the Florida Secretary of State and Arizona Senate President, where the group discussed “the differences between the states’ election systems and…areas where we can improve.” Republicans on this board will be looking to the Governor and state legislature to enact changes in statute to improve speed and efficiency of election results across Arizona.
Lesko’s successor in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Abraham Hamadeh, noted the efforts from his predecessor on the election front, writing, “Congratulations to former Congresswoman and now Maricopa County Supervisor Debbie Lesko on her swearing-in! Supervisor Lesko is already hitting the ground running honoring her commitment to election integrity by proposing a full audit of our election system processes.”
Congratulations to former Congresswoman and now Maricopa County Supervisor @DebbieLesko on her swearing-in! Supervisor Lesko is already hitting the ground running honoring her commitment to election integrity by proposing a full audit of our election system process. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/BGySuIveZs
A southern Arizona elections official is facing a potential investigation over her jurisdiction’s execution of the recent November General Election.
On Monday, state Representatives Teresa Martinez and Rachel Jones sent a request to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, asking her office to conduct an investigation “into the Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cazares-Kelly’s handling of the 2024 General Election.”
🚨State Representatives Teresa Martinez & Rachel Jones Request Attorney General Investigation Into Pima County Election Administration
“Election integrity is the foundation of our democracy, and voters deserve to know their elections are being administered fairly, lawfully, and… pic.twitter.com/BJFmLiloSK
The Republican lawmakers raised a number of issues stemming from the election in Pima County, including “shutting down of early ballot request portal, inmate voter registration program, [and] handling of undeliverable and returned ballots.”
“Election integrity is the foundation of our democracy, and voters deserve to know their elections are being administered fairly, lawfully, and transparently,” said Representative Martinez. “The numerous irregularities and lack of accountability from the Pima County Recorder’s Office demand a full investigation.”
“When nearly 4,000 voters face barriers to requesting a ballot, and when questions about unlawful voting and ballot processing are met with silence, it’s clear that immediate action is needed to restore public trust,” added Representative Jones.
In their letter to Mayes, the two legislators wrote, “Arizonans deserve free, fair, and transparent elections. In light of your recent decision to immediately investigate President-Elect Donald Trump over his speech (although you later determined his remarks were protected by the First Amendment), we hope you will agree that Recorder Cázares-Kelly’s alarming conduct administering the 2024 General Election warrants a thorough investigation.”
The Pima County Recorder appears to be a proud Democrat activist alongside her nonpartisan position as an election official. During this just-completed elections cycle, Cázares-Kelly posted a picture with Jane Fonda, and boasted about shaking former President Barack Obama’s hand at a political event.
Love this photo of me & goddess @Janefonda during her recent visit to Tucson w/ @janeclimatepac. She was making a joke out of the side of her mouth as I laughed in delight. She talked about her decades of enviro activism, even recalling getting arrested alongside @standwithraul! pic.twitter.com/MDWvOAplJC
Cázares-Kelly also shared a video of Mayes dancing at a political rally in October.
Lol. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes twirling away to @tigresdelnorte is exactly what I needed to see on my timeline as I inhaled my lunch finally.
National and local Republicans are pulling out all the stops to protect election integrity in the critical swing-state of Arizona for the upcoming November contest.
Last week, the Donald J. Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced the creation of a new Election Integrity team in Arizona. The team will be shepherded by Harmeet Dhillon. According to the press release issued by the coalition, the team “will stop Democrat interference and secure Arizona’s elections.”
“We are proud to announce President Trump’s appointment of Harmeet Dhillon as our new legal counsel in Arizona,” said Trump Campaign Managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita and RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump. “She will spearhead critical legal battles, stop the many attacks on the integrity of our elections, and lead our winning election integrity team to Protect the Vote. Election Integrity is the top priority for President Trump, his campaign, and the RNC, and with a fair and secure election Arizona will send President Trump back to the White House. Harmeet is an unmatched force for Election Integrity and will lead the fight, and win, to secure Arizona’s elections – for our country’s most important election.”
Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Gina Swoboda added, “Arizona is the battleground for this election, and Harmeet is ready to lead the fight. We are committed to an honest and secure election system, that counts every legal vote properly. Arizonans, and Americans, deserve nothing less, and we are full steam ahead in our unprecedented dedication to Election Integrity.”
After the revelation about her appointment, Dhillon said, “I’m happy to report that after meeting and speaking with state party and candidates and outside volunteer groups and Arizona lawyers, we are in better shape this cycle than ever before and on a strong legal and political footing for Republican victory in AZ.”
🥵 I’m happy to report that after meeting and speaking with state party and candidates and outside volunteer groups and Arizona lawyers, we are in better shape this cycle than ever before and on a strong legal and political footing for Republican victory in AZ! Have to stay cool! pic.twitter.com/netML2VHL4
Early voting in Arizona is now officially underway across the state with ballots hitting mailboxes and voters frequenting sites to cast their ballots ahead of the November 5 General Election. Besides the contest for President of the United States, Arizona features other pivotal races, including U.S. Senate, state legislature seats that could determine party control of either chamber, and constitutional amendments with key implications for the future of the state.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A new investigative film by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), a public interest law firm dedicated to election integrity, has revealed the group’s findings following its inspection of hundreds of commercial addresses listed on Arizona voter registrations as residences. The group found gas stations, liquor stores, abortion clinics, vacant lots, a strip club, an Arizona Cardinals training facility, and more all listed as voters’ residences.
Under Arizona law (A.R.S. 16-152), voters are required to register to vote where they reside, and the form even specifically forbids the use of business addresses or P.O. Boxes. Under the text of the law, voters must provide, “The complete address of the registrant’s actual place of residence, including street name and number, apartment or space number, city or town and zip code, or such description of the location of the residence that it can be readily ascertained or identified.”
PILF began the full film with a simple statement indicating that this issue was brought to the awareness of Arizona officials years ago. In on screen text, they wrote, “After years of failing to identify and remove commercial addresses from the voter roll, PILF is documenting this widespread problem to force Arizona election officials to investigate these addresses.”
PILF President J. Christian Adams said in a press release,
“We have been warning Arizona election officials about people registered to vote from commercial addresses since before the 2020 election. I hope this film will embarrass election officials into investigating the hundreds of commercial addresses on the voter roll. Arizona always comes down to a handful of votes which is why it’s so important this problem is fixed and why Arizonians need to go out and vote early this year.”
The foundation observed that that the illegal use of commercial addresses for voter registration is hardly the only issue with the Arizona voter rolls in 2024, noting several issues that AZ Free News has reported on in the past. These issues include the “glitch” that incorrectly marked 98,000 registrants as having provided proof of citizenship, the 2022 controversy over ballot printing errors at 70 Maricopa County voting centers that caused extensive delays and eroded voter confidence, and the Attorney General investigation of the 2020 election that showed as many as 200,000 ballots were transported illegally without the proper chain of custody.
The investigation by PILF closely resembles a similar undertaking by the investigative team of Louder with Crowder in 2021 following the controversial 2020 Presidential Election in which reporters for the show exposed voters registered under “addresses that do not exist,” including empty lots, highway overpasses and yes, commercial locations numbering in the thousands.
Only United States citizens should be voting in our elections. That shouldn’t be a controversial statement. But of course, it’s 2024, and the Left hasn’t instituted its open border policies under the Biden-Harris administration for nothing.
The fact is that U.S. citizens can’t go into France, Australia, or any other country throughout the world and vote in their elections. Why should citizens from other countries be allowed to vote in our elections?
While it’s certainly illegal for non-citizens to vote here, the law is only as good as the mechanism in place to make sure it’s followed. That’s why it is critical for the integrity of our nation’s elections that voters prove their citizenship prior to voting. And the SAVE Act is a much-needed remedy that would address this issue head on.
Sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy from Texas, who has certainly experienced firsthand the issues that arise from the current surge at the border, the SAVE Act would require individuals to provide documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) in order to vote in federal elections. It’s a constitutional solution to keep non-citizens from voting.
But given Congress’s propensity for inaction, states should not wait around to see if our federal lawmakers will pass the SAVE Act or another reasonable solution. Arizona has been a leader on this issue for years and has already enacted a comprehensive solution that every state should follow.
