Maricopa County leaders officially certify primary election results

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Nearly two years of baseless and disproven claims of election fraud did not slow voter turnout in Arizona’s largest county. More voters cast ballots in this month’s primary election than any other primary on record in Maricopa County.

On Monday, county leaders officially certified the record-breaking election where more than 866,000 voters cast ballots. According to election officials, the number equals 35 percent of the county’s registered voters, up from an average of 24 percent voter participation.

“Judged by the usual metrics, the election was a resounding success,” County Recorder Stephen Richer told the board before they certified the results.

Election deniers across the country have targeted Richer and his office since he was elected in 2020. That was the election former president Donald Trump started pushing his unsupported claims of election fraud in Arizona and several other states. Richer didn’t oversee that election, but he has defended the results and the career public servants who work in the county’s election department.

During today’s meeting, Richer read from a message sent to him from someone who wanted to see his execution broadcast live on pay-per-view. The threatening messages came as Trump’s handpicked candidates questioned the accuracy of Arizona elections, parroting the unfounded and disproven claims from the former president.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake even made headlines days before the election, claiming, without providing evidence, that she had evidence of fraud in this election. Despite that accusation, Lake appears ready to accept the primary results in Maricopa County.

This afternoon, her campaign issued a statement that said in part, “We are honored to have received the most votes of any GOP candidate on the ballot in the 2022 election.”

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