PHOENIX — Arizona’s top election official has asked the attorney general to investigate Kari Lake, the Republican candidate who lost her bid for governor in 2022, over potential campaign violations involving the disclosure of voter signatures.
The complaint could set up a legal showdown in the battleground state between a prominent conservative election denier backed by Trump and two newly- elected Democrats who campaigned with messages of strengthening public trust in elections.
The referral from Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) to Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) comes as Lake has doubled down on her unproven claims that administration of the state’s midterm elections resulted in her loss. The Washington Post has obtained a copy of the referral.
A Lake aide did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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As part of her grievances, a Jan. 23 tweet from Lake’s account claimed 40,000 ballots didn’t match voter signatures that Arizona had on record. The tweet included a graphic containing images of 16 voter signatures.
In his letter, Fontes pointed to state law involving public inspection of voter registration records. That law says records containing voter signatures “shall not be accessible or reproduced by any person other than the voter.”
Violation of that law, he wrote, is a felony.
A spokesperson for Mayes confirmed the office received the referral and declined to comment.
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