By the official tally, Hobbs prevailed in the contest by approximately 17,000 votes, or 0.7 percent of the more than 2.5 million ballots cast statewide, but Lake is questioning the legitimacy of tens of thousands of those ballots.

"Maricopa's own log data shows that over 264,000 ballots were reviewed [for vote signature matches] at a rate less than 3 seconds [and] 70,000 at a rate of less than 2 seconds," Olsen told Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson.

"In addition, testimony that Level 2 reviewers were so overwhelmed that they simply didn't look at the signatures that were piling up on their desk. They simply kicked them back for the Level 1 reviewers to take another look at," the lawyer said.

"That's not signature review, your honor," Olsen said.

The process in Maricopa County — the Phoenix metro area — is that ballots rejected by Level 1 reviewers go to Level 2 reviewers, who either decide the signatures match and send the ballots through for counting or determine the signatures do not match and seek to contact the voter to confirm identity. This is called "curing."

Olsen further said, "What that log data shows, your honor, is that over 274,000 ballots were approved at less than three seconds each. That includes one signature verifier who approved 100 percent of the 26,900 signatures that he verified at less than 3 seconds a signature."