Former President Donald Trump said Arizona should hold a new election, blaming incompetent officials for voting machine problems.
Mr. Trump called for a new election on TruthSocial, shortly after several news outlets called the Senate race for Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly over Republican Blake Masters.
“Idiot, and possibly corrupt, officials have lost control of the tainted election in Arizona. MACHINES BROKEN IN REPUBLICAN AREAS. A NEW ELECTION MUST BE CALLED FOR IMMEDIATELY!” Mr. Trump said.
Arizona faced issues with vote-counting machines at some polling locations in Maricopa County on Election Day, which prompted some Republicans to repeat Mr. Trump’s claims of voter fraud.
Some machines were unable to read some of the printed-on-demand ballots, according to county officials.
Voters who experienced issues were encouraged to wait for tabulators to come back online while technicians fixed the issues, or go to another polling location. They could also drop off their ballot in a secured slot, and be assured it would be put through later.
Maricopa County has historically taken a long time to count votes due to its high population and expansive offering of early voting.
The county was one of Mr. Trump’s most targeted legal fights over the 2020 election, which he argues was riddled with fraud, despite officials asserting its security.
Arizona is still waiting for the result of a high-profile governor’s race between Democrat Katie Hobbs and Republican Kari Lake. Currently, Ms. Hobbs has a slight lead over Ms. Lake.