I suppose I should have been expecting this. Arizona — particularly the Arizona Republican Party — has spent a tremendous amount of time dividing itself over claims of electoral wrongdoing since 2020.
So, of course, it had to happen. It had to happen that the Democratic candidate for governor is the secretary of state and nominally in charge of running a smooth election, while the Republican candidate is an “election denier.” And it had to happen in Maricopa County — one of the most important for Republicans in the state. Long lines. Tabulation machines malfunctioning — and confusion about what to do if you’ve checked in to vote but haven’t been able to cast a ballot yet.
Small armies of Republican lawyers are ready to pounce and willing to follow up on the chain-of-custody issues for those paper ballots. But we’d better hope it’s not close in Arizona.