With the 2022 election fast approaching its first anniversary, attorneys for Republican Abe Hamadeh filed an appeal to his court-denied election challenge. Hamadeh, who lost the election by just 280 votes after all recounts, filed a challenge based on allegations of irregularities that disenfranchised thousands of Arizona voters.

In an announcement posted to X on Sept 26, Hamadeh expressed hopeful indignation over the State’s failure to rectify the deficiencies he believes so evident. He stated, “Our democracy demands honesty, transparency, and accountability in order to rebuild the trust that so many Arizonans have lost in our elections. Our case seeks to enfranchise over 9,000 voters who voted on Election Day and did their part to have a say in their government. Their constitutional right to vote matters and their votes deserve to be counted. I will continue to fight, to ensure that the will of the people is honored, and that our laws are upheld.”

Like similar challenges by candidates Kari Lake and Mark Finchem, Hamadeh’s original election challenge was rejected. But unlike the others, Hamadeh was not precluded from appealing. According to Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen, who made the original ruling, his dismissal was due to insufficient evidence, not intent. Whereas the Lake and Finchem challenges relied on allegations of widespread fraud, a charge that is difficult to prove, Jantzen praised Hamadeh for arguing that unintentional mistakes were the culprit, an argument that relies on hard evidence rather than hearsay. Hamadeh’s long-awaited case is now before the Arizona Court of Appeals.