Maricopa County Assessor Candidate Accused of Plagiarism Drops Out of Race

Plus two other Arizona voting headlines.

Michael Farrar, who threw his name in the hat to become the next county assessor, allegedly plagiarized his application, according to the Arizona Capitol Times. 

The news outlet reported Farrar, a former member of the Carefree Town Council, lifted sections from the websites of Forbes, Thomas Edison State University, Six Sigma Quality, Salesforce, and the California State Association of Counties. 

Farrar told the Capitol Times he sent over the wrong application without citations and withdrew only because he decided he’s too busy with other things to run. 

His withdrawal leaves 11 candidates left for the election later this year. The winner will replace Paul Petersen, who resigned last month after being arrested on more than 60 charges, including human trafficking, in three states. 

Ducey Signs Bill to Allow for Faster Ballot Counting

Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill Monday that allows Maricopa County to begin using “electronic adjudication” machines to speed up its ballot counting process. 

According to the AZ Mirror, election officials were previously required to duplicate any ballots that counting machines could not fully read. 

The new law allows officials to single out errors and fix them rather than having to copy the entire ballot. 

The bill, which was passed unanimously in both the House and Senate last month, included an emergency clause, so it will be in effect for the March 17 presidential preference election. 

Arizona Attorney General Fights Ballot Harvesting Appeals Court Ruling

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich recently filed a motion to stay a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on ballot harvesting so the state’s Supreme Court can review the case.

The court ruled Jan. 27 that a 2016 state law preventing organizations from collecting mail-in ballots and dropping them off at a precinct violated the Voting Rights Act. 

Brnovich said he is concerned that changing the rules in the middle of the 2020 Presidential Preference Election could confuse voters. 

“The Ninth Circuit took the unusual step of overruling multiple previous rulings in the State’s favor, thereby rejecting Arizona’s authority to secure its elections and discourage potential voter fraud,” Brnovich said in a statement on his website.