The Arizona Republican Party thought it was a good idea to file a lawsuit to have legitimate votes from being counted, and Cindy McCain is among many Arizonans who have slammed that effort.
In a tweet, the widow of the late Sen. John McCain, took aim at local GOP groups who filed the lawsuit, which seeks to force the state to stop calling voters to verify that they had mailed in a ballot in the case of ballots where names provided by voters are not immediately clear.
“I am one of those mail in ballots. I was under the impression my vote was always counted,” McCain wrote Thursday, tagging the state’s local Republican Party account.
@AZGOP I am one of those mail in ballots. I was under the impression my vote was always counted.
— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) November 8, 2018
Four local Republican parties filed a lawsuit Wednesday night challenging the state’s two biggest counties for allowing voters to help resolve problems with their mail-in ballot signatures after Election Day.
If the signature on the voter registration doesn’t match that on the sealed envelope, both Maricopa and Pima County allow voters to help them fix, or “cure” it, up to five days after Election Day.
A judge is expected to hear the case today.
Despite McCain’s comment, the Arizona GOP said it will proceed on.
“A foundational principle of American democracy and our justice system is that all votes are treated equally,” Arizona GOP Chairman Jonathan Lines said Thursday, explaining the lawsuit.
The urgency of the GOP is because of the Arizona’s Senate race, which now shows Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D) leading Rep. Martha McSally (R) by a slim margin.
State Democrats have accused the GOP of attempting to interfere in the vote count with the lawsuit and have vowed to fight GOP efforts to change the process.
“The Republican Party is doing everything it can to silence thousands of Arizonans who already cast their ballots,” Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Felecia Rotellini said.