Republican Complaining About Election Fraud Drops Out Amid Forgery Scandal

Austin Smith, an Arizona state Republican representative who has previously complained of election fraud, dropped out of a state House race amid allegations that he forged signatures on his nominating petition sheets.

Smith was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives during the 2022 midterms and is a member of the House's Municipal Oversight and Elections Committee. He is also senior enterprise director for Turning Point USA's Chase the Vote program. Turning Point, a nonprofit founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk and the late Bill Montgomery, advocates for young conservatives.

In a statement on Thursday, Smith announced that he will no longer be seeking reelection, following a lawsuit filed on Monday by Arizona voter James Ashurst. The suit alleges that roughly 100 of the 826 signatures on Smith's nominating petition sheets were forged, with "many of those signatures bear[ing] a striking resemblance to Smith's."

"At least two voters whose names appear on petition sheets Smith circulated avow that they never signed the petition," the lawsuit added.

Smith called the lawsuit "ludicrous" in his statement but said that "if they could convince a judge that any one signature was forged, all of my signatures would be invalidated and I would get kicked off the ballot. And as per Arizona law I would also be banned from seeking office for five years."

"With no limit to the length of time that such an investigation might take, and no limit to the number of billable hours I would end up paying to defend myself, those who wanted to do me real harm might well succeed," he added.

Smith mentioned that he recently got married and he and his wife were not looking to accumulate tens of thousands of dollars of debt, which he claimed they would have even if he won the lawsuit.

"To protect my family today, I'll withdraw as a candidate," Smith said, adding that he will use an online signature system "if and when I run again" for office, so that "no one can make up any stories."

Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer replied to Smith's statement on X, formerly, Twitter, writing: "If the signatures are valid ... we put out a report saying that the signatures are valid ... and the defendant can just point to that. $0."

Smith has previously claimed that President Joe Biden's 2020 election win against ex-President Donald Trump was stolen, despite no evidence supporting the claim. He also has criticized Arizona's mail-in ballot signature verification process on social media.

"Signature verification in Maricopa County is a joke," Smith wrote on X in May 2023.

Republican Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman has called for Smith to resign and for there to be an investigation of the signatures.

"An investigation will reveal the truth, but this episode tells us something about those who have spread falsehoods with such ease since the 2020 Election," Hickman wrote in a statement on Thursday.

"They can't comprehend that most Americans and Arizonans are honest people. They accuse others of dishonesty so easily because they have no qualms about lying to win a political race or a business deal. Well, I will always tell people the truth ... and Austin Smith should leave public service now."

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said that the matter has already been referred to state Attorney General Kris Mayes.

"This case was referred as part of the normal process, along with 12 other cases on Tuesday. The determination of fraud or forgery and potential charges is currently in the hands of the Attorney General and those prosecutors," Fontes told local news outlet Arizona's Family.

Fontes, Richer and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors were also listed as defendants in the lawsuit.