TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4 - 1 in a Tuesday special meeting to certify the Tuesday, Nov. 8 general election results, with District 4 Supervisor Steve Christy casting the sole 'no' vote.
All 15 Arizona counties are required by law to certify their canvass of election results, by Monday, Nov. 28.
Results are sent after that to the Secretary of State's Office, where certification must be completed by the following week, Monday, Dec. 5.
Christy, the lone republican on the Board, raised issues with the vote to certify the canvass for Pima County, including election officials raising questions of partisanship.
He made mention of elected democrat Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly's public campaign efforts for Congressman Raul Grijalva, but focused his comments more specifically on Secretary of State Katie Hobbs fulfilling her elected duties while campaigning for governor.
District 2 Supervisor Matt Heinz made reference to a similar situation in the state of Georgia in 2018, when its governor-elect, now Gov. Brian Kemp, did not recuse himself of his duties as secretary of state, certifying election results before becoming governor.
"So, there's nothing wrong with what Governor-elect Hobbs is doing in her role as secretary of state, she has to do that, and I for one will be voting 'yes' to approve the canvass," said Heinz.
Christy asked for legal clarification from county attorneys on whether the board was in violation of open meeting laws by not inviting the public to attend. According to attorneys, public participation can be determined at the discretion of the board.
Board staff did publish all public comments received prior to its vote to certify; the nine comments to supervisors requesting a 'no' vote to the certification are published with the agenda on the County's website.
Both Cochise and Mojave Counties have delayed their canvass certifications until the deadline, Monday Nov. 28. According to Arizona Elections Director Kori Lorick, the state could sue counties if results are not certified by the deadlines.
Lorick also said if a county fails to certify the results by Monday, Dec. 5, all county votes could go uncounted, according to the Associated Press.
The full Pima County Board of Supervisors discussion by is available at the top of this web article.
RELATED: Mojave county delays certifying election, for now
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Anne Simmons is the digital executive producer for KGUN 9. Anne got her start in television while still a student at the University of Arizona. Before joining KGUN, she managed multiple public access television stations in the Bay Area and has worked as a video producer in the non-profit sector. Share your story ideas and important issues with Anne by emailing anne.simmons@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.