Election integrity questioned ahead of Arizona’s U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday

Ahead of Arizona’s primary election on Tuesday, election security has been a hot topic among politicians. So much so that Secretary of State Adrian Fontes released a misinformation alert Friday afternoon.

“The Secretary of State encourages voters to rely only on trusted sources for accurate, election-related news,” reads a press release from the Secretary of State’s Office. “We want to reassure the public that the security and integrity of their vote are our top priorities.”

Election integrity is something that Senate candidate Kari Lake has spoken out about when it came to her election loss to Katie Hobbs in the 2022 race for governor. Lake claimed that Maricopa County didn’t conduct required accuracy testing on its tabulators and believed they were inaccurate, refusing to concede the race.

She has since claimed that her Republican opponent, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, is a “coward” when it comes to election integrity.

“He does not respect our elections,” Lake said. “He has done absolutely zero to make sure we have safe and secure elections.”

Lamb responded with an email to his supporters refuting Lake’s allegations.

“The topic of election integrity is incredibly important to me (and this country), and it’s one that I take very seriously,” the email reads. “My opponent, former newscaster Kari Lake, has resorted to making baseless accusations against me, suggesting that I turned a blind eye to election fraud. This couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Lamb said that in 2020, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office installed cameras on every ballot drop box in the county and monitored the footage. He even opened up the footage for the community to view.

“I’ve always fought for election integrity no matter what people say,” Lamb said.

Lake declined to participate in the GOP primary debate where Lamb did a Q&A, saying that election fraud is something he would address if elected as U.S. senator.

“There’s fraud in every election,” Lamb said. “We’ve got to do a lot better nationally with election security. We owe it to the American people.”

Fontes assured voters in his statement that the state is diligent in ensuring secure elections. The polls will be open for the state primary election at 6 a.m. and they close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Voters in Maricopa County can find their closest polling location here. Voters in Pima County can find their closest polling location here. All other voters can visit my.arizona.vote to find their polling locations.

In order to participate, voters must bring valid identification, either a photo ID or two forms of ID if they don’t include a photograph.

Fontes encourages people to be aware of the upcoming heatwave when going to polling locations and many locations will be equipped with cooling centers providing relief from the heat. More information on what to expect on election day can be found at https://azsos.gov/elections/voters.