Well, *Somebody* Has To Pay For It
Recounts of election results are not free. You have to pay trained staff to do it and it has to be overseen by someone familiar with the election code. And when the reason for the recount is to simply cause bad trouble, there’s no reason that taxpayers should have to pay for that.
Calling its lawsuit challenging 2020 election procedures “groundless” and “disingenuous,” a judge has ordered the Arizona Republican Party — and its lawyers — to pay the state thousands of dollars in legal fees, the Arizona Republic reports.
In his ruling, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah contended the GOP’s team acted in “bad faith” when it questioned the process for auditing voting machines and sought to delay certification of election results last November.
Bad faith? No kidding.
The Arizona Republican Party is already whining that they are going to appeal it. Those dudes were wrong and were simply trying to destroy faith in the American electoral system. The count on the machines and on the paper ballots matched 100% in every precinct counted.
It’s gonna cost them and the taxpayer more money to appeal it. But instead of paying several thousand dollars, they are shooting for tens of thousands of dollars and hoping to stick you with the price tag.
Donald Trump taught them to never say they are wrong or sorry. I say they are both.
So they file an appeal and the judge throws it out and imposes a fine…
Well, an old woman can dream.
1Elizabeth Moon: another old woman dreaming right along with you!
2But a state run mostly by Republicans will likely low-ball the costs, so that their own party doesn’t have to come up with any really significant money. It’s definitely a conflict of interest.
While I lack one of the two qualifications for “old woman”, along with Elizabeth Moon and austinhatlady I’ll also hope for a massive fine that would help stop this nonsense from happening again.
3Did Georgia get paid for their three recounts that his majesty required?
4I’m sure this will just be another phony grievance opportunity to solicit contributions by another state repugnantican party.
5I’d be willing to let the AZ Republican Party off the hook … if the lawyers representing them took on the full burden for the abuse of process. Seems to me they should have known better, either on their own OR by the warning of the judge during the trial.
6States should demand an upfront advance payment for recounts.
7