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Cochise County hand counting ballots on Saturday

Posted at 11:54 PM, Nov 11, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-12 01:55:13-05

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — If you’re ever in Bisbee on a Friday and hear a group of ladies singing, that’s where you’ll find Carol Park every single week.

Park is part of a group of ladies who wears black and pushes for peace.

She’s a volunteer who is hand counting ballots in Cochise County.

“To make sure that this is absolutely fair and that everything is happening as we wish it would in a democracy,” Park said.

However, Cochise County has been at the center of controversy after some of the County’s Board of Supervisors and the County’s recorder initially pushed to do a full hand count of the 2022 Midterms’ ballots.

Arizona law only allows counties to hand count 2 percent of the ballot.

After Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs decided the State of Arizona would pursue legal action against the County if they hand counted 100 percent of the ballots, the county then went to the Arizona Court of Appeals but lost.

The County then went to the Arizona Supreme Court, but the Court struck down their request for a hearing.

The County Supervisors decided to follow Arizona law and not go through with a 100 percent hand count. Instead, they approved a hand count audit of all county precincts.

Park said she’s been hearing that they’re only going to count 2 percent of the ballots and said she’s against the 100 percent hand count.

She’s concerned about the cost and the well-being of the election staff.

“How much more can you ask of them and can they physically and mentally do it?” Park said.

However, just because Park is against the 100 percent hand count, doesn’t mean she wouldn’t participate in one.

When asked about whether she would participate, Park said, “My feeling at the present time is yes….being able to work with the party and the people making these decisions might be the important thing.”

Park said she believes in the Cochise County election system because 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats count every ballot to ensure the information is accurate.

James Barton, a lawyer who represents the Arizona Democratic Party said while they aren’t involved in suing the County, they are encouraging members of the Cochise County Democratic Party not to engage in an illegal hand count.

He said those involved in an illegal hand count could face a Class 5 felony.

The repercussions could include but are not limited to 2 and a half years in prison along with fines if it is their first offense.

Cochise County District Two County supervisor Ann English is a Democrat who said she’s against the 100 percent hand count because she trusts the election department to test the voting machines. She said the County has never had any problems.

In a letter to the lawyers representing the Cochise County Board of Supervisors and recorder, the Cochise County attorney also warned the County against the 100 percent hand count.

Some Bisbee residents like Rose Cobis said the issue would lead to the parties turning against each other.

“Republicans are going to say no the Democrats cheated and the Democrats….you know what I mean…it’s just going to be another long part of it,” Cobis said.

However even if the County does proceed with a 100 percent hand count, Park said it would not undermine her confidence in Cochise County’s elections.

“Its an extraordinarily good system that guarantees the accuracy of the votes that were cast,” Park said.

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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.