The Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party Robert Graham blasted Santa Cruz County Recorder Suzanne Sainz for sending Democrat ballots to more than a dozen Republican voters. Earlier this month, the County had refused to turn over audit logs of the last 5 elections to the Santa Cruz Election Integrity Committee.
Sainz is responsible for administering the elections in Santa Cruz County involving more than 23,000 registered voters.
“This is an outrageous abuse of power: a public official manipulating the election and forcing members of one party to vote in another party’s election,” alleged Graham. “This does not appear to be an isolated incident, but part of a larger pattern of abuse and failure to be transparent with regard to the elections.”
According to the Nogales International, even the former chairman of the Santa Cruz County Republican Party had received a Democrat ballot instead of a Republican one.
In addition to the published report, Sainz also wrongly attempted to collect payment from the Arizona Republican Party earlier this week for voter information that political parties are entitled by law to receive about registered voters in Santa Cruz County.
“Corruption is not limited to Maricopa and Pima counties,” said Richard Hernandez, who has worked with Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller, and the Pima County Election Integrity Commission to ensure election and voter integrity. “It is clear that no matter which party you belong to, it seems that simple words like ” honesty, integrity, scruples, and righteousness are lacking. Shameful to witness how low our current elected officials will stoop down to ensure the good ole boys stay in power.”
Graham was also critical of the response from the Santa Cruz County Attorney who told reporter Manuel C. Coppola, of Nogales International, that the ballot issue “…hasn’t risen to a legal issue.” Graham noted that a group of Republican voters have been trying for months to obtain public information about the election.