PHOENIX — In a letter sent earlier today, Attorney General Mayes advised Arizona’s fifteen county attorneys that despite the assertions made by a group of legislators, Arizona statutes do not give counties the authority to count all ballots manually instead of using automatic tabulating equipment.
“A group of legislators has apparently traveled the state advising county boards of supervisors that Senate Concurrent Resolution 1037 provides a basis for counties to count all ballots manually instead of by automatic tabulating equipment – that is flat wrong,” said Attorney General Mayes. “SCR 1037 is merely a resolution, not a bill, and it has no force of law. Any suggestion that this resolution is legally binding because of the Legislature’s ‘plenary authority’ is also wrong. In most instances, counting ballots manually instead of using tabulating equipment is impracticable, would significantly increase costs, and harm the timeliness and accuracy of results.”
