Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has indicated plans to seek a new indictment in the case involving alternate electors from the 2020 presidential election. This follows a series of court rulings that invalidated the original 2024 grand jury indictment.
In April 2024, a state grand jury indicted 11 Republicans who had signed certificates as alternate electors for Arizona, along with seven other individuals connected to efforts supporting former President Donald Trump. The charges included felony counts of fraud, forgery, and conspiracy.
The defendants were accused of submitting documents to Congress and the National Archives that claimed Trump had won Arizona’s electoral votes, despite official certification that Joe Biden won the state by 10,457 votes. Among those charged were former Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward and other party figures, as well as Trump associates such as Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows.
The original indictment faced several procedural challenges. In May 2025, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sam Myers ruled that prosecutors had not provided the grand jury with the full text of relevant provisions from the federal Electoral Count Act of 1887.
Defendants argued this omission denied them due process, as the law addresses procedures for handling competing electoral slates and was central to their defense that their actions were contingent on legal challenges. The Arizona Court of Appeals ultimately declined to overturn the ruling.
On June 2, 2026, the Arizona Supreme Court rejected Mayes’ request for review, upholding the lower court’s decision to send the case back to a grand jury. Mayes’ office has stated it will pursue fresh indictments, however, a process that could extend into 2027.
The restart occurs amid Mayes’ reelection campaign. Republican candidates seeking the nomination to challenge her have indicated they would drop the case if elected, while defense attorneys for the remaining defendants have called for the matter to be dismissed entirely.
The latest developments in Arizona aligns with outcomes in other states involving alternate electors. Michigan dismissed felony charges against 15 Republicans in 2025 due to insufficient evidence of criminal intent, while Nevada’s case faced jurisdictional dismissals.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis also brought a similar case in Georgia, which was ultimately tossed due to prosecutorial misconduct.
