She said she and others in her office all have been certified as election officials. That, said Reagan, allows them to not only be around ballots but also have access to the counting equipment.

“We’re the very same people that went and, prior to the election, checked all the equipment, sealed all the equipment, had them all on live video feeds so that we could watch all the equipment,’’ she continued. “So I would say if there’s a group you’re going to trust it would be the very same people that just verified the equipment as accurate and working properly.’’

Reagan was the prime force behind the legislation that makes it a felony to collect voted or unvoted early ballots from another person, with a presumptive sentence of one year in state prison.

Last month, speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference before the bill had been approved, Reagan decried the “outrageous loophole’’ in Arizona law that would make it easy to “cheat.’’ And she said it is “the radical Left who uses ballot harvesting.’’

Farley said even if he accepts her argument she and her staffers can collect ballots around the Executive Tower where she, the governor and other state employees have offices, her actions are no more acceptable.