Protesters in Arizona demand new election as Katie Hobbs declared winner after shockingly long vote count

Maricopa County has been at the height of national headlines since election day last week, and on Monday Democrat candidate Katie Hobbs claimed victory over Republican front-runner Kari Lake after the controversial county’s latest ballot drop projects Hobbs to be the next governor of Arizona.

But protesters are demanding a new election and continue to organize outside the Maricopa County Elections Center located on 510 S. 3rd Ave over the disgraced county’s election day failures. They question why Katie Hobbs, who is also the secretary of state, refused to recuse herself from election duties due to the blatant conflict of interest.

On election day, more than 26 machines malfunctioned across Maricopa County, disenfranchising voters and making them wait excessive hours to cast their votes. When lawyers for Lake and Senate candidate Blake Masters asked a judge to extend voting hours until 10 p.m. on election day, the judge denied their request.

It’s almost as if history is repeating itself in Maricopa County, the largest metro in Arizona. They were first under worldwide scrutiny during the 2020 presidential election over similar issues to this year’s midterms.

Protesters say they want legislators to enact election integrity laws and don’t believe the county is being transparent and fair. However, not everyone that gathered outside the elections center was protesting the county. A handful of individuals in support of Katie Hobbs came out to defend their candidates, and believe that those protesting the county are election deniers.

Republican Kari Lake has yet to make a statement after the latest ballot drop but recently announced that she will not concede until every legal vote has been counted.