U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Kari Lake’s Request to Ban Electronic Vote-Counting Machines in Arizona

The U.S. Supreme Court has made a decision that will impact the future of election integrity in Arizona. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake’s request to ban the use of electronic vote-counting machines in the state has been denied by the highest court in the land.

Lake, along with former Republican secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem, had filed a lawsuit two years ago, raising concerns about the security of the machines that count votes. They argued that hand counts would be a more efficient and accurate method for totaling election results. However, election administrators testified that hand counting millions of ballots would be impractical and less accurate.

U.S. District Judge John Tuchi ruled that Lake and Finchem lacked standing to sue, as they failed to show any realistic likelihood of harm. The judge also sanctioned their attorneys for bringing a claim based on frivolous information.

This decision by the Supreme Court effectively puts an end to the push for a hand count of ballots in Arizona. Lake, who is now the GOP front-runner for U.S. Senate in the state, has faced criticism for her focus on election fraud claims. Meanwhile, Finchem is running for state Senate.

In a separate development, Lake declined to defend herself in a defamation lawsuit brought against her by Maricopa County election official Stephen Richer. Lake had accused Richer, a fellow Republican, of rigging the 2022 gubernatorial election against her.

The Supreme Court’s decision not to take up the vote-counting case signifies a significant moment in the ongoing debate over election integrity in Arizona. With no justices dissenting, the court’s ruling stands as the final word on this matter.