Arizona Court of Appeals rejects GOP challenge to mail-in voting signature verification

• Arizona Court of Appeals tosses GOP claim on mail-in ballots • Judges rule GOP lacks standing to challenge signature verification process • Arizona has long allowed no-excuse early voting since 1991

The state Court of Appeals has tossed out a claim by the Arizona Republican Party and some of its allies that could have created a new obstacle for people trying to vote by mail.

In a unanimous ruling, the three-judge panel declined to rule on claims that Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes acted illegally when he concluded that signatures on early ballot envelopes can be verified by comparing them to any other signatures on file. Attorney Kory Langhofer, who represents the challengers, said that is contrary to state law.

Instead, the judges decided that Langhofer and his clien