Following criticism from President Donald Trump on Monday, Gov. Doug Ducey defended Arizona’s election system and its security, saying, “I’ve been pretty outspoken about Arizona’s election system, and bragged about it quite a bit, including in the Oval Office. And for good reason,” he tweeted Monday night.
“We’ve been doing early voting since 1992. Arizona didn’t explore or experiment this year. We didn’t cancel election day voting as some pushed for — we weren’t going to disenfranchise any voter. In Arizona, we have some of the strongest election laws in the country, laws that prioritize accountability and clearly lay out procedures for conducting, canvassing, and even contesting the results of an election,” Ducey continued.
Ducey, a Republican and ardent supporter of the president, directly responded to claims made Monday in the hearing that absentee and early ballots sent in Maricopa County did not undergo signature verification.
“We’ve got ID at the polls. We review EVERY signature (every single one) on early ballots — by hand — unlike other states that use computers. Prohibitions on ballot harvesting. Bipartisan poll observers. Clear deadlines, including no ballots allowed after Election Day,” he said.
He broke down the state’s law surrounding election certification and the selection of electors– refuting claims from the Trump team and others asking state legislatures to bypass election results and select electors themselves.
“The problems that exist in other states simply don’t apply here. I’ve also said all along, I’m going to follow the law. So here’s what the law says… It requires the Secretary of State, in the presence of the Governor and the Attorney General, to canvass the election on the fourth Monday following the general election. That was today.”
