US Elections: Arizona Certifies Biden's Victory

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, certified the election results Monday morning, saying the elections process was the most secure in recent history, "despite unfounded claims to the contrary." The state's Gov. Doug Ducey and Attorney General Mark Brnovich, along with Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel, witnessed the certification, as required by state law. These three officials are Republicans.

RELATED:

US Elections: Wisconsin's Ballots Recount Reaffirms Biden's Win

Ducey, who echoed Hobbs' comments and praised the integrity of Arizona's election system, also said he would sign official documentation on Monday and have it hand-delivered to the president of the US Senate so that Kelly "can be sworn in as swiftly as possible."

Biden beat Trump by 10,457 votes, according to information delivered by the office of the secretary of state.

Certifying election results is typically a formality, but the process had been the subject of President Donald Trump's longshot attempt to cling onto power. His campaign has unsuccessfully tried to block or delay certification in key states to overturn Biden's victory through the Electoral College. 

Kelly, who defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally in a special election, will be sworn in at noon on Wednesday, according to a senior Democratic aide. That will reduce the current Republican advantage in the Senate to 52-48.

Trump's efforts to challenge the results were in full view on Monday, with his attorneys, Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, in Arizona meeting with some GOP members of the state's legislature to discuss unsubstantiated allegations that the election was fraudulent. However, the discussion didn't prevent the certification.

Shortly before the certification, Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward took part in a hearing in state court connected with a planned challenge to the election results that her attorney said he planned to file later in the day. Ward filed documents last week in state superior court indicating she would challenge Arizona's election results as soon as they were certified. Under state law, any legal challenges must be filed within five days of certification.

Ward's attorney asked to inspect up to 2% of voters' signatures on mail-in ballot envelopes in Maricopa County and ballots that were "duplicated" or copied by election workers because the machines couldn't read them. Four prior lawsuits involving the Arizona GOP, the Trump campaign, or other parties challenging election processes in Arizona failed to derail the certification process.

Before the formal certification on Monday, Hobbs noted that more than 3.4 million ballots were cast in Arizona for the general election, with a turnout of nearly 80%. More than 88% of the ballots were cast early, she said. "Despite the unprecedented challenges" posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Hobbs said, "Arizonans showed up for our democracy."

Trump's efforts to overturn the election results are nearing an end as other states certify their results, including Pennsylvania and Nevada, both of which completed their certification processes last week. States are scheduled to certify their results by December 8, ahead of the Electoral College meeting on December 14.

Trump has not conceded the election, and he still claims without basis that he won. His administration has also approved access to transition materials and national security briefings for Biden and his team.