As 2024 approaches, Pinal County leaders can't hand count ballots. But some like the idea

Pinal County officials told the public loudly and clearly at a Wednesday meeting that they will not authorize hand counts in next year's elections or vote against certifying results.

But that doesn't mean they are happy about it.

"I think it's ridiculous that we can be charged for just wanting to be sure," said Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff Serdy.

It isn't the first time supervisors have discussed the idea of hand counting in the wake of a rough midterm election cycle.

In previous conversations, the board has seemed largely lukewarm on the merits of manual tabulation, wary of its legality and logistical challenges. This time around, they seemed amenable to the idea — if only it were legally possible.

"You'll be sued," County Attorney Kent Volkmer told the board on Wednesday. "You will lose. And I believe the Attorney General's Office will bring criminal charges."

Races for supervisor seats are on the ballot for 2024. Republicans hold all those positions, and most are expected to run for reelection.

Serdy told The Arizona Republic he doesn't believe the meeting showed a tonal shift on the issue from him and his colleagues. He said he was never against hand counting, and the matter had simply "worked its way to the top of the agenda."

He told The Republic he would be in favor of hand counting if it were possible, and believes most of his colleagues would also vote for manual tabulation. But he said he won't chance a lawsuit.

"I don't want to be a guinea pig or a test case for something," he said.

Discussion comes as counties face pressure to hand count

Last year, Pinal County supervisors unanimously rejected a plan to increase the percentage of ballots counted by hand in order to ensure voting machines are accurate.

Even Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh, who sought the expanded hand count as a more reliable test of tabulators, ultimately voted against his own proposal.

Meanwhile, numerous trials have shown that hand counting is less accurate, more expensive and far slower than counting with tabulators.

For instance, former Pinal County Elections Director Geraldine Roll began a trial hand count of 2,000 test ballots from the 2022 election before abruptly leaving her position. She found that each batch of 25 ballots took her team about 80 minutes to count.

But nearly every board meeting in recent months has included a plea for hand counting from at least one speaker during public comment.

County leaders have encouraged proponents of hand counting to go to state lawmakers with their concerns.

"These are the laws that we are stuck with," Volkmer said on Wednesday. "We have to follow the law or society crumbles."

But lawmakers have also appeared to push the county toward manual tabulation. In August, Republican state Sens. Sonny Borrelli and Wendy Rogers made Pinal County their third stop on a tour to convince supervisors in GOP-majority counties across Arizona to agree to hand count ballots.

It came after Borrelli authored a letter to leaders of all 15 Arizona counties demanding they cease using current tabulation machines to count ballots, citing a non-binding legislative resolution passed with Republican-only support earlier this year.

During Wednesday's meeting, supervisors asked Volkmer questions about whether he saw any way around their statutory requirements to certify election results.

They also discussed a recent ruling by the Arizona Court of Appeals on hand counting. That court determined that Cochise County officials had no authority to attempt to hand count all ballots cast in the 2022 general election.

Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share on elections or voting? Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pinal County leaders can't hand count ballots, but some like the idea