State Senator Justine Wadsack launches an investigation into the Pima County recording office

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Arizona Senator Justine Wadsack has launched an investigation into the Pima County Recorder’s Office for possible election violations.

Wadsack said the alleged violations “may have suppressed thousands of voters.”

The the county’s online portal where you can request mail-in ballots was closed on October 19 due to an overwhelming number of requests. A note on the website told voters to call the office for requests but to expect long wait times.

The solicitor’s office claimed that many of the requests were duplicates from voters who had already received an early ballot.

The Recorder’s Office then sent an email to approximately 4,000 voters telling them that their request for mail-in ballots had been canceled.

“Voters who were unable to contact the office or who have not yet received a ballot are still eligible to vote in person at an early or emergency voting location or a voting center on Election Day,” the polling agency said.

Wadsack said the agency’s actions are unacceptable.

“I was truly shocked to learn that our County Recorder’s Office had done this,” Wadsack wrote in a letter to Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly. “These actions are absolutely unacceptable, undermine the integrity of our elections and raise serious questions about voter suppression. This has impacted my current constituents and my community, and I want to ensure that their votes are protected, as well as the votes of all candidates involved. I am here to ensure accountability for the laws that appear to have been broken. My message to voters is to get out today and vote in person to ensure your voice is not suppressed.”

Wadsack has asked the recorder’s officer to send her any documents related to the incident, as well as an explanation of why it happened.

“The Pima County Recorder’s Office recognizes the burden and disappointment this may have caused during a stressful election cycle,” the office said in a statement to 13 News. “We are already designing a solution for our online voting request portal to prevent this situation in future elections.”

Wadsack has recently been in the news for a speeding ticket and her response to it.

Wadsack was arrested in Tucson on March 15 around 10 p.m. She was allegedly speeding near Speedway and Euclid, near the University of Arizona campus.

Arizona Senator Justine Wadsack was stopped in Tucson on March 15 for speeding. She would have been twice the legal limit.

According to Officer Ryder Schrage’s incident report and bodycam footage, Wadsack was driving her Tesla at 70 mph in a 56 mph zone.

She claimed she wasn’t speeding and was just trying to get home before her electric car broke down.

Wadsack did not sign the speeding citation that night because of legal immunity.

However, when TPD Lieutenant Lauren Pettey contacted Wadsack after the hearing adjourned in June, the senator still refused to sign the citation.

The incident narrative supplemental report filed by Pettey alleges that Wadsack demanded to speak with Chief Chad Kasmar, and she claimed she was under “political persecution.”

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