CNN: HEADLINE: “Fact-Checking Kari Lake, Serial Promoter Of Election Lies And Early Frontrunner In GOP Primary For Arizona Governor.” [CNN, 10/16/21]
Arizona Republic: “Lake Has Promoted False Election Conspiracy Theories And Claims That Trump Actually Won The 2020 Election.” According to the Arizona Republic, “Lake has promoted false election conspiracy theories and claims that Trump actually won the 2020 election. She wants to ban any election counting equipment that relies on computer software and has called for election audits in other states. She also said she would deploy the Arizona National Guard to the border, which Ducey has done during both the Trump and Biden administrations.” [Arizona Republic, 10/25/21]
Lake: “America Loves President Trump. America Knows The 2020 Election Was Stolen.” According to Lake’s Twitter, “So great to spend time with President Trump yesterday. The crowd at The Kentucky Derby went wild chanting USA! USA! USA! America loves President Trump. America knows the 2020 election was stolen. America knows President Trump was the true winner.” Quote Tweet Paris @ParisDenard – May 7 “President Donald J. Trump at the #KentuckyDerby spotted along with @RichardGrenell @kimguilfoyle @KariLake and Ambassador Kelly Knight Craft.” [Twitter, @KariLake, 5/8/22]
VIDEO: Lake Said The Election Was “Stolen.” According to a Lake town hall in Prescott, AZ via YouTube, “LAKE: We’re winning in the court of public opinion. Truly, you all, most of you know how it was stolen now, because you’ve been shown how it was stolen, maybe lived it. And so that's a really big part of it. That's a really big part of it. Our court cases are continuing. What percent of Republicans believe the elections are rigged? They know it's 60 plus percent of independents and 40 plus percent of Democrats who don't believe our elections are fair. [...] We've got Shelby Bush here. Can I hand the mic to her for two seconds? This woman, do you all know Shelby Bush? I got seven sisters. I don’t need an additional sister, but she's like a sister to me. She's been involved in this since the 2020 election was stolen in trying to save our elections.” [Lake at a Prescott Town Hall via YouTube, 2/2/24]
2024: Lake Doubted That Biden Won 81 Million Votes And Refused To Say If Biden Or Hobbs Won Their Elections. Sahil Kapur tweeted, “Kari Lake insists Biden could not have won 81 million votes in 2020, when he defeated Trump. I asked her if she still thinks President Biden and Gov. Katie Hobbs didn't win Arizona. LAKE: ‘Next question.’” [Twitter, @SahilKapur, 3/5/24]
Lake Said She Would Not Have Certified Biden's Win In Arizona. According to Newsweek, “Kari Lake, a Republican running to become the next governor of Arizona who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, said that she wouldn't have certified Joe Biden's win in Arizona, even as the GOP-backed audit upheld his victory. Lake, a former news anchor in Phoenix, said people have ‘witnessed things that were wrong’ with the election while appearing on the right-wing network One America News. ‘Considering how much already at the time information we had about serious irregularities and problems with the election, I would not have certified it right then,’ Lake said.” [Newsweek, 10/2/21]
Lake Said It Was A “No-Brainer” That She Would Not Have Certified The 2020 Election. According to Lake’s Twitter, “This was a no-brainer. The fact that Katie Hobbs sat next to Doug Ducey and certified our election while there were so many issues that were being addressed at that very moment is appalling.” [Twitter, @KariLake, 10/3/21]
Lake Asked Governor Ducey To Call A Special Session To Decertify The 2020 Election And Get Rid Of Vaccination Requirements. According to Lake’s Twitter, “@Dougducey call AZ lawmakers back for a special session to take up HB2190 that would end the forced vaccine b.s. so Arizonans can work, feed their families & pursue their education. And while they are there they can DECERTIFY the Debacle Election of 2020. https://azleg.gov/legtext/55leg/1r/bills/hb2190s.htm.” [Twitter, @KariLake, 10/5/21]
Lake Said Brnovich Needed To “Do The Right Thing” And Decertify The 2020 Election. According to Lake’s Twitter, “BOMBSHELL! @GeneralBrnovich has to do the right thing.” Quote Tweet Liz Harrington @RealLizUSA ∙ Oct 21 “NEW! President Trump: ‘Look at what just happened in Arizona last night for the people that really won the Election, by a lot, us...The Presidential Election in Arizona (and in numerous states) was a Fraud...Arizona should decertify their Fake Election results immediately!’” [Twitter, @KariLake, 10/21/21]
Lake Called For Those Who Were Involved In The “Shoddy” 2020 Election To Be Locked Up. According to Politico, “The opening speakers for Trump included many of the main figures pushing conspiracies that there was widespread, coordinated voter fraud in 2020 […] Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate and former local news anchor Kari Lake called for those who were involved in the ‘shoddy’ 2020 election to be locked up.” [Politico, 1/16/22]
Lake Argued For Arresting Poll Workers Who She Claimed Helped Steal The 2020 Election From Trump. According to the Atlantic, “Now, with just five months until the primary, the stakes of Arizona’s gubernatorial election are becoming alarmingly clear. The leading Republican candidate, Kari Lake, a charismatic former local-TV-news anchor, has endorsed the lie that Democrats stole the 2020 election from Trump. She’s argued for arresting poll workers and has even called for Hobbs’s imprisonment.” [Atlantic, 2/28/22]
Lake Told Katie Hobbs, “We’re Going To Decertify, Reform Our Elections And Lock Up All Of The Criminals Who Defrauded The Voters Of Arizona. And That’s Going To Be The Fun Part!!” According to Lake’s Twitter, “Yo Katie, We’re not ‘getting over’ it. We’re going to DECERTIFY, REFORM our elections and Lock Up ALL of the criminals who defrauded the voters of Arizona. And that’s going to be the fun part!! #Karizona #KariLakeForAZGovernor #ReformOurElections #LockUpElectionFraudCriminals.” Quote Tweet Katie Hobbs @KatieHobbs · Oct 7 “I know who won Arizona last year: it was @JoeBiden. It's time for Arizona leaders to move on and focus on real issues.” [Twitter, @KariLake, 10/7/21]
Lake Suggested That Biden Is Not The President, Reporting A Comment That Said, “I Believe Joe Biden Is The President, Just Like I Believe OJ Simpson Is Innocent.” According to Lake’s Twitter, “Just. Being. Honest.” Quote Tweet Columnated Ruins @DominoFromAZ ∙ Oct 20 "I believe @JoeBiden is the President, just like OJ Simpson is innocent." -@KariLake.” [Twitter, @KariLake, 10/20/21]
Lake Made The Big Lie A Central Theme Of Her Campaign For Governor. According to the Arizona Mirror, “Lake has made the Big Lie — the false notion that the 2020 election was ‘stolen’ from Trump by widespread and coordinate fraud — a central theme of her campaign, and she was endorsed by Trump last year.” [Arizona Mirror, 5/5/22]
Arizona Republic HEADLINE: "Republican Kari Lake Uses False Claims About 2020 As Basis For Arizona Governor's Office Bid" [Arizona Republic, 7/12/22]
Lake Made Trump’s Election Lies Central To Her Campaign For Governor. According to Politico, “Lake, a former local TV news anchor, has made Trump’s lie that the election was stolen the centerpiece of her campaign. Meanwhile, Robson, a former member of the Arizona Board of Regents and a wealthy GOP donor, has refused to proclaim that Trump won the election in the state. Lake has also said that her opponent will resort to having ‘dead people’ vote to win the state’s Aug. 2 primary.” [Politico, 7/17/22]
Lake Suggested That Taylor Robson Was Trying To “Steal” The Primary Election. According to NBC News, “She also suggested Taylor Robson might be trying to ‘steal’ the primary election because she has promoted polls showing a tight race. ‘My opponent, the RINO, is trying to tell people that she’s doing well, she’s up in the polls, which is, I guess if you’re counting people who are, you know, dead people,’ Lake said. ‘But she’s not up at the polls. It makes me think they might be trying to set the stage for another steal.’” [NBC News, 7/22/22]
A Week Before The Primary, Lake Said She Had “Already Detected Some Stealing Going On.” According to the Arizona Republic, “Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake repeatedly and without evidence claimed that fraud was taking place in this year's election, saying at a campaign stop Monday that she was already ‘detecting some stealing going on.’ ‘I'm telling you right now, anybody trying to steal this, first of all, we're already detecting some stealing going on, but you guys know I'm a fighter right?’ she said at a conservative event in Anthem. ‘You haven't seen me when they try to steal something. I'm gonna go supernova radioactive. We're not gonna let them steal an election.’” [Arizona Republic, 7/26/22]
AZ Family: Lake Made Accusations Of Voter Fraud In The Primary, But “Did Not Provide Specific Evidence To Back It Up.” According to AZ Family, “With less than a week left in the primary, one of the leading Republican candidates for governor claims attempts to steal the election is already underway. Earlier this week, Kari Lake told the North Valley Constitutional Republicans, ‘we’re already detecting some fraud.’ Lake made the accusation several times during the event but did not provide specific evidence to back it up. Arizona’s Family reached out for comment but did not get a response from her campaign, which has made unsupported election fraud claims about the 2020 election a cornerstone of her run for office. Lake’s comments come as polls show her and Karrin Taylor Robson running neck and neck for the GOP nomination.” [AZ Family, 7/28/22]
Washington Post: Lake “Is Already Telling Her Supporters Not To Trust The Results Of Tuesday’s Primary Contests. Unless, Of Course, She Wins.” According to the Washington Post, “Republican gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake is already telling her supporters not to trust the results of Tuesday’s primary contests in Arizona. Unless, of course, she wins. ‘We will not stand for another stolen election,’ she said to a cheering crowd at a recent campaign event in north Phoenix without providing credible evidence of wrongdoing. ‘We’re already detecting some fraud. I know none of you are shocked … We’re already detecting fraud and believe me, we’ve got cyber folks working with us, we’ve got lots of attorneys. And I’m hoping that we have the sheriffs that will do something about it. We’ll keep you posted.’” [Washington Post, 7/29/22]
When Asked If She Thought The Election Would Be Fair, Lake Said, “It Probably Is Not Going To Be Completely Fair.” According to KTAR News, “Lake was asked if she was confident this election cycle would be fair and was quick to say no. She mentioned how her opponent, Democrat Katie Hobbs, is the current Secretary of State and accused Hobbs has shown ‘incompetency and maladministration’ already before the election. ‘I wish I could sit here and say yes, but I’m not,’ Lake said. ‘… I’m afraid that it probably is not going to be completely fair.’” [KTAR News, 10/23/22]
Lake Said She Would Only Accept The 2022 Election Results “If The Election Is Fair, Honest, And Transparent.” According to 12 12 News, “Lake said she’s not concerned that Hobbs is catching up and is confident she will win the bid for governor. But if she loses, when asked if she would claim election fraud, she responded, ‘If the election is fair, honest, and transparent, then, of course, I will accept the results.’” [12 News, 10/18/22]
Lake Dodged A Question About Whether She Would Concede If She Lost The 2022 Election. According to The Arizona Republic, “Lake said last month she would certify the 2024 election if she’s elected to be Arizona’s 24th governor, but dodged a question about whether she would concede if she loses in November. ‘I’m not going to lose to Katie Hobbs,’ she said. Lake did not respond to a request for comment for this story.” [Arizona Republic, 10/4/22]
VIDEO: Lake Said She Would Continue Her Lawsuits Contesting The 2022 Gubernatorial Election. According to a Lake interview with ABC 15 Arizona via YouTube, “REPORTER: Are you acknowledging now, or coming to terms now, with the fact that Katie Hobbs is the governor and you are not? LAKE: Well, she's sitting in the governor's office - unfortunately, for the people of Arizona - and I'm continuing and I've never quit my court cases. We have three of them and I'm moving forward with them. And I know that many people out there don't want to see that, but the vast majority of people do want me to move those cases through. We need to make sure that we have reform in our elections so that every voter feels confident their vote counts and that's what I want. That's why I'm, I'm pushing my cases forward.” [Lake on ABC 15 Arizona via YouTube, 11/1/23]
VIDEO: November 2023: Lake Said She Would “Absolutely Not” Concede The 2022 Gubernatorial Race To Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. According to a Lake interview with ABC 15 Arizona via YouTube, “REPORTER: So, no concession. Just to be clear. That doesn't sound like a concession to me. LAKE: No, absolutely not.” [Lake on ABC 15 Arizona via YouTube, 11/1/23]
Lake Shared An Article That Called The 2022 Election “Stolen.” Kari Lake tweeted, “Why Kari Lake Is Running for Senate AND Fighting the 2022 Stolen Election - The Liberty Daily.” [Twitter, @KariLake, 11/24/23]
VIDEO: 2024: Lake Claimed That The 2022 Elections Were “Fraught With Fraud” And “Corrupt”. According to a Lake interview with Univision via YouTube, “HOST: Going back to the previous election, did you win? Were you defeated? How do you stand right now? LAKE: We had a corrupt election. We had an election that was fraught with fraud and I've pointed it out. We’ve shown the ways that they ran that election. And I'm still working to try to have our elections reformed so that all voters, whether they be Democrat, independent, or Republican, know that when they cast their legal vote, it counts. It's not being watered down with a bunch of mail-in ballots that came from who knows where.” [Lake on Univision via YouTube, 1/21/24]
Lake’s Attorneys Asked The Court To Invalidate The 2022 Gubernatorial Election And Order A Revote. According to an Arizona Republic opinion by Laurie Roberts, “On Wednesday, Lake asked the Arizona Court of Appeals to invalidate the results of the 2022 election and order a revote. Republican-run Maricopa County, she charges, ‘apparently rigged the November 2022 Election to fail on Election Day.’ She claims to have new evidence that shows county sabotage and, of course, there’s the old ‘evidence’ — all of which was rejected by a judge after allowing her two trials to make her case.” [Laurie Roberts Opinion – Arizona Republic, 11/16/23]
Lake Lawyers Kurt Olsen, Bryan Blehm, And Andrew Parker Could Face Discipline Proceedings For Falsely Claiming Election Fraud. According to the Arizona Republic, “A committee that regulates attorneys in Arizona has found probable cause that three lawyers who represented former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake in election-related cases should face discipline, marking a significant step forward in the attorney oversight process.” [Arizona Republic, 12/13/23]
Olsen, Blehm, And Parker Were Previously Sanctioned In Past Election Fraud Cases. According to the Arizona Republic, “All three have previously been sanctioned by judges in Arizona related to Lake's challenge of her November 2022 loss to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, or a case seeking to force a hand count of ballots last year. Those cases, and conduct leading to sanctions, were in large part the basis of the state bar's investigations that have now advanced.” [Arizona Republic, 12/13/23]
Lake’s Attorneys Could Face Punishment Up To Disbarment. According to the Arizona Republic, “A probable cause order greenlights the state bar to file formal complaints against the trio and pursue further actions before a disciplinary judge. The complaints could be settled, or lead to public discipline. Penalties could include a period on probation, reprimand or disbarment. Joe Hengemuehler, a spokesperson for the bar, said lawyers such as Olsen — who is not licensed here but was allowed to work on specific cases — can face discipline up to a reprimand.” [Arizona Republic, 12/13/23]
VIDEO: Lake Said Democrat Would Be Cheating In The 2024 Election. According to Lake on Bannon’s War Room via YouTube, “LAKE: I think things have gotten so bad that people are going to show up in such massive numbers that they won't be able to cheat their way around it. And that's why they're trying to lock up President Trump. That's why they're trying to dissuade me from even being on the ticket.” [Lake on Bannon’s War Room via YouTube, 11/8/23]
AUDIO: Lake Said Republicans Would Overcome Democrat Cheating In The 2024 Election. According to Lake on the Grace Curley Show via SoundCloud, “LAKE: What we're seeing is that we've exposed how they cheated and where the problems are. And so I think it's going to be harder for them to pull the same tricks this next go around. There's a reason they're trying so hard to keep President Trump off the ballot. If they could just do the same tricks, they wouldn't really care if he was on the ballot. [...] I believe that when we show up in massive numbers, it's going to be really hard for them to cheat a level that will influence the results.” [Lake on the Grace Curley Show via SoundCloud, 12/6/23]
AUDIO: Lake Said Democrats Would Try To Steal The Election If Trump Was Not Legally Barred From Running. According to Lake on Sid and Friends in the Morning via SoundCloud, “HOST: So Trump and I talked for about five minutes. It was great. And he did mention the election, he said they're going to try to steal it. [...] LAKE: Well, but we have we are making some changes. And there's a reason they're trying to stop Trump in four different jurisdictions with these bogus cases that everyone is waking up to and realizing how unjust the justice system is and how weaponized our government is. And, you know, if they really felt they could steal it, then they wouldn't be doing all of that this time. If they tried to steal it. They'd have to try to convince us that Joe Biden, the dementia patient sitting in the White House, got 110 million votes. I mean, no one's going to buy that.” [Lake on Sid and Friends in the Morning via SoundCloud, 2/19/24]
The Kari Lake Show Mentioned Election Denialism “At Least 27 Times.” According to the Arizona Republic, “Election denialism has come up at least 27 times. [...] Lake’s show suggests she was slow to let the subject go completely.” [Arizona Republic, 12/15/23]
Lake Claimed Her Election Denial Positions Were Mainstream. According to the Arizona Republic, “‘I’ve been all over the country since our victory was stolen, and I’ve spoken to hundreds of thousands of people, probably had conversations with thousands, and I’ve only had three people from all over the country say anything mean. It was like, ‘You lost.’ Three out of all that. So, the people are seeing what’s happening.’” [Arizona Republic, 12/15/23]
Lake Claimed That January 6th Rioters Were “Invited In By Capitol Police.” According to Business Insider, “A Trump-endorsed candidate for Arizona governor said the Capitol rioters were ‘invited in by Capitol Police,’ appearing to push an unproven narrative that the riot was nonviolent. ‘They haven't been charged with a crime, and they were invited in by Capitol Police,’ Kari Lake said during an interview with the conservative news network RSBN at former President Donald Trump's October 10 rally in Des Moines, Iowa.” [Business Insider, 10/11/21]
VIDEO: When Asked About January 6, Lake Said, “What I Don’t Like Is That People Are Being Held In Prison Without Being Charged. That’s Un-American.” According to Lake’s Twitter, “What I don’t like is that people are being held in prison without being charged. That’s un-American. Maybe they get away with that stuff in Australia. Perhaps in Australia, because you’ve given your rights away, you melted down all your guns, and you guys have no freedom, that you find that okay. But here in America we do things differently. We have something called the U.S. Constitution, and we have rights. And we don’t take kindly on Americans being locked up for months on end without being charged. So charge them or get off the pot.” [Twitter, @KariLake, 2/9/22]
June 11, 2022: Brandon Straka, Founder Of The “Walk Away” Movement, Announced A “Kari’d Away” Event With Lake. According to Straka’s Twitter, “ARIZONA! #WalkAway is inviting you to get “KARI’D AWAY” June 11th in Scottsdale, AZ! Join @KariLake, @BrandonStraka, and the #WalkAway Team for a magical night of inspirational conversation, Q&A, and food and drinks Get tickets now: https://walkawaycampaign.com/events” [Twitter, @Brandon Straka, 5/15/22]
Lake’s Anti-Mask Rally At ASU Attracted Insurrectionist Micajah Joel Jackson And Other Extremists. According to The Times Union, “She recently led an anti-mask rally at Arizona State University where the gubernatorial hopeful urged college students to defy school regulations requiring they wear masks […] The crowd included Micajah Joel Jackson, a man charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and anti-mask advocate Ethan Schmidt-Crockett, who previously posted a video of himself unmasked, refusing to leave a Mesa wig shop frequented by cancer patients at higher risk of COVID-19, the news station reported.” [Times Union, 11/5/21]
Lake Said “We Want To Know The Winner On Election Night,” But She Also Pledged To Remove Electronic Ballot Machines. According to The Arizona Republic, “Lake has said ‘we want to know the winner on election night’ and ‘we don't want to be counting for 10 days,’ but has also pledged to remove ‘all equipment that uses software’ from the ballot counting process because of concerns it can be hacked. Those amount to contradictory aims. Ballot counters, called tabulators, are used in over 90% of election jurisdictions and have proven quicker and more accurate than counting by hand, according to a report of the Bipartisan Policy Center.” [Arizona Republic, 10/20/22]
Lake Claimed That Electronic Voting Machines Were Inaccurate. According to KTAR News, “Lake did not say whether she wanted to end mail-in ballots, but said she thinks that the electronic voting machines are inaccurate and they need to be working properly on Election Day. ‘We can’t have machines like that counting our sacred vote, there’s too much on the line,’ Lake said. ‘We want to make sure we have a secure and honest election system and I’ll work with lawmakers to make sure that happens.’” [KTAR News, 10/23/22]
Lake Tweeted, “Let’s Get Rid Of These Machines. We Don’t Need Them.” According to Lake’s Twitter, “Let’s get rid of these machines. We don’t need them.” Quote Tweet @Behizy Tweets – July 29 “Breaking: Dominion voting machines fail logic & accuracy test in El Paso County, CO recount. Almost 60% of test ballots sent to adjudication” [Twitter, @KariLake, 7/29/22]
Lake Said, “We’re Hoping We Can Get Rid Of These Electronic Voting Machines.” According to 12 News, “A federal judge has heard arguments from both sides in a lawsuit involving election tabulation machines in Arizona. The lawsuit pits two high-profile candidates against each other, Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake and Democrat candidate Katie Hobbs, who is also Secretary of State […] ‘We’re hoping we can get rid of these electronic voting machines. We know they are very easily corruptible. They can be hacked very easily,’ Lake said Thursday morning in an interview with 12News. Lake has espoused at least four different election conspiracy theories that are baseless.” [12 News, 7/21/22]
Lake And Mark Finchem Filed A Lawsuit In An Attempt To Ban The Use Of Ballot Tabulation Machines. According to the Arizona Daily Star, “Two Republicans seeking statewide office are asking a federal judge to block the use of machines to tabulate the votes in Arizona in the 2022 election. The machines are unreliable because they are subject to hacking, contend Kari Lake, a gubernatorial hopeful, and Mark Finchem, who is running for secretary of state. And the use of components in computers from other countries makes them vulnerable, they say.” [Arizona Daily Star, 4/23/22]
Lake Said That Her Lawsuit To Ban Electronic Voting Machines Was “About Security & Transparency.” According to the Lake campaign’s Twitter, “@KariLake joined @JoeTalkShow to discuss the emergency injunction, she & @RealMarkFinchem filed to ban electronic voting machines in Arizona ‘This is about security & transparency. This is for all Arizonans. Whether you have a D by your name or an R, or you're an independent.’” [Twitter, @KariLakeWarRoom, 4/26/22]
VIDEO: March: Lake Said She Planned To File An Election Integrity Case With The U.S. Supreme Court “This Week.” According to Real America’s Voice via YouTube, “HOST: What progress has been made towards solving the election integrity issues that are plaguing Arizona? What progress? LAKE: There’s been a little progress. I mean, as I’ve said many times, my court cases are still moving through. Just this week, we’re filing a case of a case in the U.S. Supreme Court. I told people we would take this all the way to the United States Supreme Court if we needed to, and we'll be filing a case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to get rid of these machines that are absolutely horrific when it comes to our elections and we're laying that whole case out.” [Real America’s Voice via YouTube, 3/14/24]
Lake Asked The U.S. Supreme Court To Take Up Her Challenge – Dating Back To The 2022 Election - Of The Use Of Electronic Voting Machines. According to KJZZ, “Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake filed enough signatures to qualify for the ballot Friday after asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up her case challenging the use of electronic voting machines that dates back to her run for governor in 2022. Lake and former state lawmaker Mark Finchem, a Republican who lost the race for Arizona secretary of state in 2022, want the U.S. Supreme Court to give them a do-over of their losing claim that machines used to tabulate votes in some Arizona counties are so inherently unreliable that they violate their constitutional rights. In a new legal filing, attorney Lawrence Joseph said his clients have new evidence that was not known when the pair first filed their claim ahead of the 2022 election, evidence they did not get to present to a federal judge in Arizona. Under normal circumstances appellate courts — including the Supreme Court — look only at the record of a case to determine whether the trial was conducted fairly. Anything not in evidence at the time of the trial is legally irrelevant. But Joseph told the justices there is enough for them to conclude that a new trial, with this new evidence, could result in a different outcome.” [KJZZ, 3/15/24]
Lake’s Lawsuit Against Vote Counting Machines Repeated Unfounded Allegations About Arizona Election Security. According to the Associated Press, “Two Republican candidates for top statewide offices in Arizona have asked a court to bar the use of machines in tabulating ballots in the November midterm elections and instead have them counted them by hand. The lawsuit filed Friday by gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem against Democratic Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs alleged that the vote counting machines used in Arizona aren’t reliable. The civil complaint repeats unfounded allegations about the security of such machines in the state, such as that the counting machines ‘can be manipulated through internal or external intrusion to alter votes and vote tallies.’” [Associated Press, 4/25/22]
Lake Sought To Keep Former President Donald Trump’s Election Fraud Conspiracy Theories Alive With A New Lawsuit That Would Send The State’s Electoral Process Back To A Bygone Era. According to MSNBC, “Two Republican candidates in Arizona are trying to keep former President Donald Trump's election fraud conspiracy theories alive with a new lawsuit that would send the state’s electoral process back to a bygone era. The lawsuit, filed Friday by gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Arizona secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem, seeks to bar the state from using electronic voting machines in the November midterm election. Mike Lindell, the pillow-pushing, pro-Trump conspiracy theorist, told Insider he's bankrolling the lawsuit.” [MSNBC, 4/26/22]
Lake Signed The Patriot Party Of Arizona’s “Contract With Arizona” Which Called For An End To Mail-In Ballots. According to an op-ed in the Arizona Republic, “Both Kari Lake and Matt Salmon on Friday signed a Contract with Arizona, calling on Gov. Doug Ducey to immediately convene a special session of the Legislature to pass a ‘medical freedom’ law and a leaky raft of election law proposals, including an end to early voting […] The contract calls for Ducey and the Legislature to protect the unvaccinated by codifying health status as a protected class and to declare that ‘unconstitutional federal health mandates’ are not enforceable in Arizona.” [Arizona Republic, Laurie Roberts Op-Ed, 9/30/21]
AUDIO: Lake Said She Would Not Trust Vote By Mail. According to Lake on the Sean Hannity Show via SoundCloud, “LAKE: Some people want to vote with a mail-in ballot. I'm more comfortable voting on Election Day, because I know I would never put $500 cash in an envelope and mail it. And I look at my vote is worth more than $500. I don't trust that type of voting. But if people want to vote that way, this is the system that we're in and, by all means, vote however you're comfortable.” [Lake on the Sean Hannity Show via SoundCloud, 10/11/23]
Arizona Republic: Before Suing To End Mail-In Ballots, “Lake For Decades Faithfully Mailed In Their Ballot.” According to the Arizona Republic, "Before she began a legal attack on early voting and mail-in ballots — the way most Arizonans have voted for over 30 years — Lake for decades faithfully mailed in her ballot. Lake said she 'wasn't previously aware of the potential for fraud.'" [Arizona Republic, 7/12/22]
Lake Reminded Her Supporters To Mail Their Ballots In. According to Lake’s Twitter, “Hey there! Popping in to remind you to mail that ballot back or mark your calendar for August 2nd. We have an Establishment to destroy. And I’m really looking forward to it.” [Twitter, @KariLake, 7/20/22]
Lake Signed A Pledge To Eliminate Early Voting. According to the Arizona Capitol Times, “There are other more far-reaching proposals, many stemming by claims by Trump and his supporters, even before the 2020 election, that early voting is subject to fraud. Those claims continue, with GOP gubernatorial hopefuls Kari Lake and Matt Salmon signing a pledge to eliminate early voting. And Lake in particular continues to insist that Joe Biden did not win the vote, a contention she repeated in a Twitter post this past week claiming, without any proof, that 200 ‘bag loads of ballots’ were dumped in Arizona.” [Arizona Capitol Times, 1/8/22]
Lake Called For “One Day Voting,” Where All Voters Must Cast Their Ballots In Their Individual Precincts. According to the Washington Post, “In a state that pioneered early voting, she would also try to terminate voting by mail, a popular method used by most voters who opt for convenience over standing in Election Day lines. Instead, she is calling for ‘one day voting,’ where all voters must cast their ballots in their individual precincts.” [Washington Post, 7/29/22]