What Happened to Arizona Fake Electors Scheme?

The Arizona Fake Electors Scheme emerged in the aftermath of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, where then-President Donald Trump and his allies sought to overturn Joe Biden's victory in several key swing states, including Arizona. Despite Biden winning Arizona by 10,457 votes, a group of 11 Republican individuals met on December 14, 2020, to sign and submit a document falsely asserting themselves as the state's legitimate presidential electors for Trump. This action was part of a broader, coordinated effort across multiple states to create an alternate slate of electors, aiming to disrupt the certification of the Electoral College votes on January 6, 2021.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat who took office in January 2023, launched an investigation into the scheme. In April 2024, a state grand jury indicted 18 individuals on nine felony counts, including conspiracy, fraudulent schemes and artifices, fraudulent schemes and practices, and forgery. The defendants included the 11 fake electors, such as former Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward and State Senator Jake Hoffman, as well as seven Trump associates, notably former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and attorneys John Eastman and Boris Epshteyn. Two defendants, former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis and Republican activist Loraine Pellegrino, resolved their cases in August 2024; Ellis agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, and Pellegrino pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.

A significant turning point occurred in May 2025 when a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ordered the case to be sent back to a grand jury. The judge ruled that prosecutors had failed to provide the original grand jury with a full copy of the 1887 Electoral Count Act, which defense attorneys argued was crucial to their claim that their actions were lawful. Attorney General Mayes appealed this decision, but in June 2026, both the Arizona Court of Appeals and the Arizona Supreme Court declined to review the lower court's ruling, effectively upholding the requirement to re-present the case to a grand jury.

Facing a 15-day deadline to initiate new grand jury proceedings after the Supreme Court's decision, Attorney General Mayes filed a motion on June 17, 2026, to dismiss the indictment 'without prejudice.' This legal maneuver allowed prosecutors to drop the current charges while retaining the option to refile them later. The indictment was officially dismissed on June 18, 2026. Subsequently, in August 2026, a Maricopa County Superior Court Judge formally granted the motion to dismiss the charges against all defendants, again 'without prejudice,' leaving the door open for a new prosecution.

As of September 1, 2026, the criminal charges against the Arizona fake electors and their allies have been dismissed. However, Attorney General Kris Mayes has publicly stated her intent to re-present the case to a grand jury. The future of the prosecution is heavily influenced by the upcoming November 2026 Attorney General election, as Mayes' Republican challengers, Warren Petersen and Rodney Glassman, have both pledged to drop the case if they are elected. This situation leaves the legal accountability for the Arizona Fake Electors Scheme in limbo, reflecting similar challenges and dismissals seen in fake elector cases in other states like Michigan and Georgia.