Judge denies Republican request to extend Maricopa County voting hours

A state judge on Tuesday evening denied a Republican coalition’s emergency request to extend voting hours in Arizona’s Maricopa County, casting doubt on allegations that some people were unable to vote.

The judge, who ruled just minutes before polls’ scheduled closing time in the state, also said the request could not be implemented in time.

The GOP groups — which include the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a former state lawmaker, and the campaigns of Arizona GOP Senate nominee Blake Masters and gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake — alleged that some precincts’ tabulation malfunctions earlier in the day led some voters in the battleground state to be denied the opportunity to vote.

The groups claimed some voters at malfunctioning locations were told they could go to a different polling place instead, only to be told at the new location that they could not vote because they already had checked in at the initial precinct.

The judge said he “does not have any evidence” that residents were denied the right to vote.

Sen. Mark Kelly’s (D-Ariz.) campaign opposed the Republican effort and argued against the motion at the hearing. 

Officials from Maricopa County — which comprises more than half of the state’s population — at the hearing argued they had no way to inform polling places about an extension given the hearing occurred in the final minutes before they shut down.