Attorney General Kris Mayes has sent a letter to all 15 of Arizona’s county attorneys confirming that counties aren’t allowed to count ballots by hand.
It follows assertions made by a group of state lawmakers that Arizona law allows manual counts instead of using machines.
But according to Mayes, state statutes don’t allow it.
In April, the Republican-controlled state Legislature passed a resolution allowing hand counts, but the attorney general says since it isn’t a piece of legislation it has no force of law.
Elections experts say manual counts are far more expensive, slow, inaccurate and impractical.