The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for November 15, 2022

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Today’s Links

Articles & Resources: 

Associated Press – Voting snag in Arizona fuels election conspiracy theories
USA Today – Fact check: Printing glitches caused temporary vote-counting halt in Arizona
Fox News – Trump blasts Maricopa County after Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly defeats Blake Masters: ‘Do Election over again!’
AZ Central – Kari Lake taunts Maricopa County election officials after stoking fears on mail-in ballots
Axios Detroit – Benson rejects baseless claims after electronic poll book error
Kristina Karamo – Tweet claiming fraud in Detroit (and Twitter’s flag for misinformation) 
Michigan Live – Michigan says no one voted twice during Detroit’s e-poll book issue

Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause Michigan, Election Protection Arizona

Today’s Script  (Variations occur due to editing audio for time) 

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Yesterday, we detailed some of the routine challenges that popped up during the midterm election, including ballot reader malfunctions, power outages & gas leaks.  Election deniers irresponsibly seized on some of these issues to cast doubt on an election which reputable election experts hailed as a mostly trouble-free process.

In Maricopa County, Arizona, optical ballot tabulators failed, possibly due to faint printing of the tracking number on the paper ballot itself.   Instead, voters placed their ballot in a secure ballot box to be counted by a bipartisan team.    

Former President Donald Trump said on social media Friday, “This is a scam and voter fraud, no different than stuffing the ballot boxes.”  His choice for Arizona Governor, Kari Lake, told Fox News that problems with voting machines in 60 precincts occurred “primarily in Republican areas of town.” Lake’s claim was later contradicted by her lawyer and a lawyer for the Republican National Committee.   

In Detroit, an electronic poll book software problem was averted by using paper backup voter lists.  Candidate for Michigan Secretary of State Kristina Karamo re-posted, “DETROIT FRAUD ALERT:  This is why we filed the lawsuit in Detroit. Voters show up — only to be told they already voted absentee. It’s already happening. This is a CRIME, not an oversight. SHARE THIS EVERYWHERE. #LAWLESSELECTIONS.”  

There is NO evidence of any wrongdoing in Detroit, and Karamo lost her election to incumbent Jocelyn Benson by a 56% to 42% margin.  

We have links to articles and groups taking action  at  AmericanDemocracyMinute.org  For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.