U.S. Supreme Court Rejects GOP Senate Candidate’s Bid to Ban Electronic Vote-Counting Machines in Arizona

The U.S. Supreme Court has made a significant decision regarding the use of electronic vote-counting machines in Arizona, as Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake’s request to ban them has been declined. This decision comes after Lake and former Republican secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem filed a lawsuit two years ago, making baseless allegations about the security of these machines.

The lawsuit, which relied on testimony from supporters of former President Donald Trump, including Doug Logan of Cyber Ninjas, was dismissed by U.S. District Judge John Tuchi in Phoenix. Tuchi ruled that Lake and Finchem lacked standing to sue and later sanctioned their attorneys for bringing forth frivolous claims.

Despite their efforts to challenge the use of electronic vote-counting machines, Lake and Finchem both lost their respective campaigns in 2022 and have faced legal challenges for their baseless election fraud claims. Lake, now the GOP front-runner for the U.S. Senate in Arizona, has attempted to distance herself from these claims in an effort to appeal to establishment Republicans.

The Supreme Court’s decision not to take up the case effectively puts an end to the push for hand-counting ballots in Arizona. Election administrators have argued that hand counting would be inefficient and less accurate compared to using electronic machines.

In addition to this legal battle, Lake is facing a defamation lawsuit from Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, whom she accused of rigging the 2022 gubernatorial election against her. Despite these challenges, Lake continues to campaign for the U.S. Senate seat in Arizona.