Many Americans have lingering concerns about the 2020 election. This is particularly true in Arizona, where the results of a lengthy audit were published last Friday. While opinions are divided about the audit, it is undeniable that many Arizonans believe there was fraud in the election and, as a result, they have lost confidence in the democratic process. It is the responsibility of government officials to address these concerns and restore the People’s confidence in their elections.
The right to vote is guaranteed under the Constitution. However, as the Supreme Court stated in Storer v. Brown, “substantial regulation of elections” is necessary “if they are to be fair and honest and if some sort of order, rather than chaos, is to accompany the democratic process.”
Today, our democratic system is under attack from the Democrat’s large, well-funded team of election lawyers. Their experienced legal teams flood the courts with lawsuits every election cycle. For example, they sent an army of seventy-seven lawyers to Arizona to stop the audit, and, during the 2020 election, tried to weaponize COVID-19 to remove virtually all voting restrictions.
The Democrats recognize that the most important battles over voting rights and election integrity are won or lost in the courts. And as 2020 showed, the Republicans’ legal teams, with a few exceptions, were simply out funded and overmatched. The one exception to this trend were the Republican Attorney Generals. These Republican Attorney Generals were the strongest defense against the Democrat’s legal teams, working tirelessly to protect honest and fair elections. Their success, however, was limited by a lack of resources. For example, in Arizona, the Attorney General obtained funding for a small election integrity unit, but with only two attorneys and one investigator, this unit was hard-pressed to enforce election laws throughout the State. And, of course, it is a heavy lift to ask this tiny unit to match the overwhelming resources of the Democrat’s legal teams.
Thus, as Attorney General, one of my first acts will be to expand the Election Integrity Unit to a legal team that has the capability to enforce election laws statewide. This will require a team of at least ten lawyers, as well as additional investigators and staff. With offices in Phoenix and local offices throughout the state, the Election Integrity Unit will not only have the resources to respond to lawsuits filed by the Democrats, but it will have the capability to take the initiative in ensuring fair and honest elections. Before each election cycle the Unit will create and carry out, under my guidance, a clear, strategic plan to protect honest and fair elections. Never again, will we simply respond to lawsuits filed by the Democrats to strike first, or wait until the election is over to guard against fraud.
For too long we have ceded the legal battles over election integrity to the Democrats. We need more resources and outstanding lawyers. As your next Attorney General, I will protect the right to vote in fair and honest elections. Its time to restore the People’s faith in the system.