By Helen Purcell and Tammy Patrick

This article was originally published in The Arizona Republic.

Voters − not elected politicians − decide the outcome of elections in this country. But in Cochise County, the board of supervisors is ignoring this bedrock principle of American democracy by threatening to refuse to canvass and certify the results of the 2022 election.

The board’s refusal to do its job would not only be illegal − it could also lead to the complete disenfranchisement of the county’s voters and potentially change the outcome in key races with thin margins.

As former Arizona election officials, we know well that Arizona law is clear: once the voters have spoken, it is the duty of the board of supervisors in each county to canvass the election results within 20 days of the election (this year, Nov. 28) and to send the certified results to the secretary of state so that the statewide canvass can be completed by the fourth Monday following the election (this year, Dec. 5).

Read the full article in The Arizona Republic.