GOP-led Arizona Senate panel votes to hand-count all ballots

By BOB CHRISTIE
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Republican state senators have advanced legislation that would require every ballot cast in the Arizona’s elections to be counted by hand. Proponents who embraced former President Donald Trump’s false narrative of massive voter fraud called the proposal approved with no Democratic support Monday a needed reform. Opponents called the proposal outlandish, noting that the 2020 election saw 3.4 million ballots cast statewide and hundreds of races, meaning hand-counting those ballots would be a monumental undertaking. Democratic Sen. Martin Quezada said some Republican lawmakers have gone “off the rails”