Bennett expected to punt
A mere 161 votes separate Martha McSally and Congressman Ron Barber, and amid all of the confusion perpetually surrounding Pima County elections, at least 156 people have clearly come forward to say their votes were not counted and should be.
On Friday afternoon, the Ron Barber for Congress campaign asked Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett to fulfill his constitutional responsibilities to those people. Bennett will likely do nothing just has he has done during his tenure.
The Barber campaign shared with Bennett’s office 156 signed declarations from voters whose votes have not been counted. From Pima County, the Barber campaign has provided 147 such signed declarations. Another nine declarations were provided from Cochise County. Additionally, the campaign contends that 11 other voters in Cochise County whose early ballots were not signed should have the opportunity to remedy their ballots. While both counties have opted to disenfranchise those voters and certified the vote count, these 156 Southern Arizonans who have signed declarations, in addition to the 11 other Cochise County residents, are still waiting for their votes to be counted.
“Secretary of State Bennett is no stranger to competitive elections, and he knows that Arizonans who registered to vote and showed up to vote on Election Day deserve to have their voices heard,” said Kyle Quinn-Quesada, campaign manager for Ron Barber for Congress. “Mistakes happen in every election, and in a race this close, the right thing to do is to rectify those mistakes by counting every lawful vote.”
Bennett lost in the Republican Primary for governor this year. He leaves a legacy of incompetence and disinterest. His typical response to voters’ concerns about the chaotic voting in Arizona was either that his office was not responsible for voting or the existing laws were too vague to take action. The campaign’s request made to Arizona Secretary of State Bennett can be seen here.