Kari Lake Trial: Election Director’s Surprising Disclosure.

Maricopa County Elections Director Drops Bombshell Testimony About Mail-In Ballot Reviews

The ongoing election challenge trial in Arizona just got even more intense. Maricopa County Elections Director Reynaldo Valenzuela testified that mail-in ballot reviews were conducted at officials’ homes in 2020 without any observers present. And, shockingly, officials still have the ability to do so now. This revelation could have significant implications for the future of mail-in voting in Arizona and beyond.

The trial was initiated by Republican Kari Lake, who is contesting Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ win last November by approximately 17,000 votes. The Arizona Supreme Court remanded the issue of whether the mail-in ballot signature verification process was followed in Maricopa County during the election back to the trial court in March.

During the trial, Lake’s attorney questioned Valenzuela about the places where mail-in ballot verification took place in November and whether independent observers were present. Valenzuela revealed that there were three locations where mail-in verification took place: Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center, the Maricopa County Recorder’s office, and Maricopa County’s Southeast Regional Center in Mesa.

Whistleblower Jacqueline Onigkeit, who worked as a ballot reviewer at MCTEC in November, testified that she thought it was “odd” when she and her fellow reviewers were sent home at 7 p.m. as counting continued of mail-in ballots. When asked why she thought it was odd, Onigkeit replied, “Well, because we had observers that were constantly watching what we were doing [at the designated vote-counting area]. But there was, I’m assuming, no observers there [at the recorder’s office] who was watching what they were doing.”

Valenzuela confirmed that observers are allowed in “any general area,” but it’s not a legal requirement. He also explained that as a “certified election officer,” he and others can do signature verification in their offices with no observers present.

When asked if signature verification can be done at a Maricopa County employee’s home, Valenzuela answered, “We don’t have that currently in place,” but during 2020 with the pandemic ongoing, the county allowed reviewers to work from home.

Lake’s attorney Kurt Olsen argued that the process for verifying voters in Maricopa County is systemically flawed and presented data showing that at least 334,000 mail-in ballots were not verified, far exceeding Hobbs’ 17,000 vote margin of victory.

• Mail-in ballot reviews were conducted at officials’ homes in 2020 without any observers present.
• Whistleblower Jacqueline Onigkeit testified that she thought it was “odd” when she and her fellow reviewers were sent home at 7 p.m. as counting continued of mail-in ballots.
• Lake’s attorney Kurt Olsen argued that the process for verifying voters in Maricopa County is systemically flawed and presented data showing that at least 334,000 mail-in ballots were not verified, far exceeding Hobbs’ 17,000 vote margin of victory.

The trial continues, and the outcome could have far-reaching consequences. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.

Randy DeSoto is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book “We Hold These Truths” and screenwriter of the political documentary “I Want Your Money.”

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