Pima County Recorder under scrutiny for handling of 2024 election
PHOENIX - Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cazares-Kelly is under scrutiny for her handling of the 2024 General Election.
Arizona State Representatives Teresa Martinez and Rachel Jones have sent a letter to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes requesting an investigation into three complaints that have been levied against Cazares-Kelly.
She is accused of closing an early ballot request portal before the legal deadline for early ballot requests.
The portal allowed voters to ask for an early ballot online and according to Martinez and Jones, could have caused the disenfranchisement of an estimated 4,000 voters.
"When nearly 4,000 voters face barriers to requesting a ballot, and when questions about unlawful voting and ballot processing are met with silence, it’s clear that immediate action is needed to restore public trust," said Jones in the letter.
Jones and State Representative Cory McGarr have previously accused Cazares-Kelly of instituting inadequate safeguards in the voter registration program for inmates.
The most recent letter sent to Mayes on Dec. 2 cites the inmate voter program as the second of the three complaints.
The final complaint alleges the way undeliverable ballots were processed, stored and tracked defied Arizona law.
Jones and McGarr brought the issue of undeliverable ballots to Mayes in October, and like the inquiry into the inmate voter registration program, did not receive a response.
"Election integrity is the foundation of our democracy, and voters deserve to know their elections are being administered fairly, lawfully, and transparently," wrote Martinez. "The numerous irregularities and lack of accountability from the Pima County Recorder’s Office demand a full investigation."
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While the complaints in the letters are simple accusations, the purpose of the letters was not to criminalize but to open an investigation.
Cazares-Kelly became the first Native American woman elected to a seat in Pima County in 2020, according to her campaign website.
She is the President of the Progressive Democrats of Southern Arizona and Vice President of the Arizona Democratic Party's Native American Caucus.