Supreme Court rejects appeal to block electronic vote tabulating machines in Arizona

Supreme Court rejects appeal from Kari Lake and Mark Finchem to block electronic vote tabulating machines in Arizona

In a recent development, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from Kari Lake and Mark Finchem, effectively putting an end to their two-year effort to block the use of electronic voting tabulation machines in Maricopa and Pima counties. Lake, who was the unsuccessful GOP nominee for governor in 2022 and is now running for U.S. Senate, along with Finchem, the failed 2022 Republican nominee for secretary of state, had raised concerns about the susceptibility of the tabulating machines to hacking.

However, their claims were dismissed by a district court judge as highly speculative, a decision that was upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case without comment has left Lake and Finchem disappointed, with Lake taking to social media to criticize the order.

While Lake and Finchem have not responded to requests for comment, election officials have welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the integrity of the election process. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes highlighted the need to move past baseless claims and instead recognize the efforts of election workers in ensuring safe and fair elections.

The lawsuit filed by Lake and Finchem following their losses in the 2022 elections aimed to challenge the use of the tabulating machines in future elections. However, the courts found their arguments lacking in substance, with the 9th Circuit ruling that there was no plausible threat of future harm.

Tom Collins, the executive director of Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, supported the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that the case lacked factual basis and had been consistently dismissed by judges. He emphasized the importance of upholding the integrity of the legal system by rejecting cases that are not well-founded in fact.

Overall, the rejection of Lake and Finchem’s appeal by the Supreme Court underscores the importance of evidence-based arguments in legal proceedings, particularly when it comes to matters as critical as election integrity.