Supreme Court rejects Lake, Finchem appeal on electronic voting tabulation machines

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from former gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake and 2022 GOP secretary of state nominee 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 and Finchem had claimed that the machines were susceptible to hacking, but their claims were dismissed by lower courts as speculative.

Despite the Supreme Court’s decision, Lake criticized the order on social media, stating that the court did not believe that election integrity was worth their time. However, election officials welcomed the decision, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the work of election workers to ensure safe and fair elections.

Lake and Finchem originally filed the lawsuit following their losses in the 2022 elections, where Lake lost to Gov. Katie Hobbs and Finchem lost to Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. The lawsuit aimed to prevent future use of the voting machines, but the courts found their claims to be unsubstantiated.

Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission’s executive director, Tom Collins, supported the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that the case lacked factual basis and had been dismissed by multiple judges. Fontes echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the historical effectiveness of Arizona’s elections in delivering diverse candidates.

Overall, the rejection of Lake and Finchem’s appeal highlights the continued efforts to uphold the integrity of the election process and dismiss unfounded claims of election fraud.