Arizona county canvass starts recount process in tight Democratic primary in US House race
PHOENIX — Arizona’s most populous county announced the results of its primary election on Monday, setting in motion a recount of votes for the Democratic nomination in an open congressional district where 42 votes separate the top contenders.
The certification by the five-member Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is formally known as a canvass. The largely ministerial step was required before Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’ office can conduct a recount in the 3rd Congressional District.
Former Phoenix City Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari has a lead of less than 0.5 percentage points over former state legislator Raquel Terán, the margin that would warrant a recount under Arizona law.
Fontes affirmed the need for a recount and asked the Maricopa County Superior Court to authorize it, court records show. The secretary estimated the recount process would be completed by Aug. 19 if everything begins as planned on Tuesday.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Ryan-Touhill has officially ordered the recount, documents show. The judge scheduled a hearing to announce the results for Aug. 20.
Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will face Republican Jeff Zink in the November general election. The district is Democratic-leaning and includes parts of Phoenix. The seat was left vacant when U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego decided to run for the U.S. Senate. He will face Republican Kari Lake in November.
Gathering election results has long been a dull, unceremonious government activity in the Grand Canyon State. But since Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in Arizona’s 2020 presidential election, election conspiracies have flourished and — at times — obstructed the process.
This year, the certification of Arizona’s primary results went largely smoothly, with most of the state’s 15 counties approving the results without a hitch. The state’s count is scheduled to begin later this week.
However, some residents still have doubts about the elections.
During the public comment session in Maricopa County, several people questioned the integrity of the primary and opposed certification. One speaker accused the county of fraud and asked why they don’t hold elections with paper ballots like Russia.
Vice President Thomas Galvin responded with his own question about whether the woman has more confidence in the Russian elections than in the US elections. She said she did.
Galvin pushed back and raised his voice.
“Are you kidding? That’s Putin propaganda,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In neighboring Pinal County, the all-Republican Board of Supervisors certified the results of the primary election after Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh alleged inconsistent voting patterns during his failed campaign for sheriff and in a handful of other elections across the county.
Some of Cavanaugh’s colleagues dismissed his cheating allegations as a “clown show.” Chairman Mike Goodman banged his gavel nearly 30 times in a heated exchange with Cavanaugh, who ultimately voted “under duress” to approve the results.
Cavanaugh previously filed a complaint with the attorney general’s office. The office acknowledged receipt Monday but declined to say whether it would investigate the complaint.
Elsewhere in Arizona, rural eastern Cochise County certified its primary results without drama on Friday. The GOP stronghold on the U.S.-Mexico border had been in turmoil after midterm elections two years ago, amid rampant election denialism and failed calls for a hand count of all ballots.
The board includes the two Republicans who requested a manual count in 2020 and a Democrat who was not present at Friday’s meeting.
Officials and government websites in the rest of Arizona’s counties confirmed that the counts were successful there, with some automatic recounts being triggered. That included county supervisor races separated by just three votes in La Paz and Yuma counties.
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Govindarao reported from Florence, Arizona. Associated Press reporters Anita Snow and Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix contributed to this report. Gabriel Sandoval is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-reported issues.