Maricopa supervisors to approve 2 separate audits of election equipment
PHOENIX – Maricopa County supervisors are set to approve two separate audits of election equipment Wednesday in a bid to satisfy questions about security and the results – and avoid further litigation with the state Senate.
Chairman Jack Sellers said Tuesday he still believes that the tally showing more votes for Joe Biden than Donald Trump correct. He said that was shown through a series of court rulings and a statutorily required hand count of a sample.
“However, a significant number of voters want the additional assurance that a full forensic audit of election tabulation equipment might bring, especially given all the misinformation that spread following the Nov. 3 general election,’’ Sellers said. So the board will vote on Wednesday to authorize two audits.
“It is my belief these audits will prove our machines were not vulnerable to hacking or vote switching,’’ he said.
But Senate President Karen Fann acknowledged that may not be enough to satisfy legislators who believe the November election was rigged.
Several senators told Capitol Media Services they’re not convinced that an audit supervised by the county will be adequate.
“The Senate is moving forward with our own audit,’’ said Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, one of the Arizona legislators who has expressed doubt about the reported election returns. And Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, said the Senate still intends to do its own examination.
In both cases, they said that was being done with Fann’s approval.
Fann, however, said it’s yet to be determined whether the Senate will do its own review. She wants to see exactly what the supervisors approve and the extent of the proposed audit.
“I’m waiting for a copy of that so I can see if that scope is everything that we were looking for,’’ she told Capitol Media Services.a