November 2022: Mid-term Election: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 22:01, 4 September 2026
I have never interfaced with Katie Hobbs, but her actions left me pondering her influence over the November 2024 midterm elections. Katie Hobbs ran for and was elected governor in 2024. She ran for Arizona Governor while she was Arizona Secretary of State. This would appear to exclude Governor Hobbs as have any influence over Maricopa County governance. However, there is some overlap in the election process between her role as the Arizona Secretary of State and Maricopa County’s implementation of the elections process.
According to the Arizona Secretary of State’s website, the office's primary duty is described as follows:
“The highest profile duty of the office is oversight and administration of secure and accurate elections. The Secretary of State serves as Chief Election Officer for the State. One of the goals of the office is to register more voters and encourage their active participation in elections. As part of elections administration, the office certifies: voting devices, election results, candidates and measures to the ballot, as well as the results of statewide elections."
While there may have been no statute or policy to prevent Katie Hobbs from managing the election process for her own election, the situation suggests an ethical question. You might be surprised to learn how this issue isn’t about Katie; it’s about how her behaviors may have influenced other government employees.
Election Anomalies
Katie Hobbs was responsible for the oversight of all county elections during the 2020 General Election and 2022 Mid-term election. Both elections had newsworthy amounts of election anomalies.
In 2021, the Arizona Senate ultimately submitted seven allegations of criminal or malicious behavior for the 2020 General Election, which are address in the ACV's assessment as Election Anomalies.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors contracted with Ruth V. McGregor for a Maricopa County 2022 General Election Ballot-on-Demand Printer Investigation. The following Table of Contents from the report illustrate the large number of anomalies that continued while under Katie Hobbs oversight.
As a person responsible for oversight, there appears to be a large number of election anomalies, demonstrating ineffective oversight and raising questions about the coincidence or intent of these anomalies occurring while she was running for governor.
Jamie's Timeline
- 2020: General Election Anomalies — Maricopa County has numerous election anaomalies
- 2021: My Journey Begins — Starting to ask questions about lessons learned
- November 2022: Mid-term Election — The Katie Hobbs oversaw her own election
- December 2024: Gaining Support — [My action; no governance gaps]
- April 15, 2025: Public Records Request — Public Records Request process
- May 15, 2025: Let’s Play Hot Potato — Public Records Request runaround
- November 20, 2025: Debbie Lesko Presentation - Explains Recent Lost Ballots
- December 1, 2025: Special Complaint File with Court - [My action; no governance gaps]
- February ???: Plaintiff's Briefing - [My action; no governance gaps]
- March 12, 2026: Maricopa County Defense Briefing - Maricopa County Legal Team's Defense Brief
- April 3,, 2026, Plaintiff's Response to the Defense Briefing - [My action; no governance gaps]
- June 1, 2026: Judge's Decision - Judge Rules in Favor of the County [Judge's action; no governance gaps]
- June 8, 2026: Maricopa County's Ombudsman - Ombudsman by Title without Ombudsman Independence
- August 3, 2026: Submitted Complaint — Formal complaint submitted
- August ??, 2026: Maricopa County Responds to My Complaint - ???
Notable Governance Observations
There was news coverage about the ethics associated with Katie Hobbs overseeing her own 2024 candidacy for Arizona Governor while serving as the Arizona Secretary of State. It is for this reason, Principle 1 – Demonstrate Commitment to Integrity and Ethical Values was considered relevant from a governance perspective. Granted, Katy Hobb's was the Arizona Secretary of State and was not serving as an officer for Maricopa County. However, the Maricopa County reported to the Arizona Secretary of State, who was responsible for elections conducted within Arizona.
Principle 2 - Exercise Oversight Responsibility was also relevant given Katie Hobbs' oversight role for elections in all Arizona counties, including Maricopa County.
