- Katie Hobbs’ office threatened Mohave County Supervisors with arrest and prosecution if they failed to certify the results of their elections before the state deadline.
- Kori Lorick, the State Elections Director and Hobbs’ top deputy, sent multiple emails to the Board warning them of consequences, including the “disenfranchisement of voters.”
- Mohave was one of several GOP-led counties in Arizona that asked for more time before certifying results to examine election integrity issues.
Democratic Arizona Secretary of State and Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs’ top deputy threatened the Mohave County Board of Supervisors with prosecution if it didn’t certify her election results before a Monday deadline, according to emails and documents reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Arizona State Elections Director Kori Lorick wrote several letters and emails to members of the board, warning them of criminal charges if the refused to certify the results in time. The letters included threats of lawsuits against the members for “nonfeasance,” as well, per the emails.
“The Secretary of State did contact our County and cited A.R.S. Section 16-1010 as a statute that could be used to prosecute [the board] if they did not certify the election,” said Matt Smith, the Mohave County Attorney, to the DCNF. The statute is an Arizona felony statute regarding election officials who “fail to perform their duties” under the law; as a Class 6 felony, upon conviction, it could result in up to two years’ imprisonment. (RELATED: Arizona County Refuses To Certify Election Results, Threatening A GOP House Win)
“The threat of legal action, including personally, came from the Arizona State Elections Director [Kori Lorick],” said the board’s chair-elect, Supervisor Travis Linginfelter. While previous reporting noted that the board’s members were warned of prosecution by their counsel, the board’s members have now stated that the threats came from Lorick, who reports to Hobbs, as well.
By Arjun Singh
