Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said he'll accept the outcome of the presidential race when all court cases have been settled, as the Trump campaign and state Republican Party filed lawsuits in Maricopa County in a bid to block officials from certifying the results over allegations of voter irregularities and improprieties.
It was his first public press briefing since the Nov. 3 election.
Ducey has declined to call a winner for the election. The governor noted that he’s heard about voting issues in the state but hasn’t personally seen any evidence.
State law gives all Arizona counties until Nov. 23 to certify the results of the election. Then the counties are to send in their results to the secretary of state’s office, which then has another 10 days to certify the statewide results.
While several news outlets have described Biden as the president-elect and declared him the winner, The Epoch Times has not, pending the outcome of lawsuits and other processes needed to complete the election. The Electoral College votes next month, and Congress will hold its joint session to formally count electoral votes and declare official election results in early January.
According to the unofficial vote count, Biden is ahead of Trump by about 11,000 votes in Arizona.
Earlier this week, the Arizona GOP moved to halt county officials in the state to delay certifying their results.
The party also filed a lawsuit to request a hand count of a sampling of ballots in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix. They also are seeking a court order prohibiting the county from certifying results until that case is decided.
“This case is about delay—not the adjudication of good faith claims,” lawyers for Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said in response, AP reported.
Hobbs, a Democrat, also claimed on Nov. 17 that she is receiving threats of violence following the election, alleging that Trump and other GOP members are spreading misinformation. Hobbs didn’t provide evidence for her claims of violence.
Ducey said in his news conference that the alleged threats are “completely unacceptable.”
In Michigan, Wayne County Board of Canvassers Chairwoman Monica Palmer and board member William Hartmann signed sworn affidavits on Nov. 18 saying they only voted to certify election results this week because they were told that a full audit of the election would occur. But when they learned of no audit, they rescinded their votes to certify the results.
Both Palmer and Hartmann said they were threatened. The two were berated and accused of racism after they voted against certifying the results, said Palmer, adding that the abuse went so far as to have “threatened me and members of my family.”