Arizona State Senate to conduct another Maricopa County election audit
News 11's Adonis Albright speaks with local politicians to get their take on the audit
PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Arizona State Senate Republicans announced on Wednesday that four companies have been hired on to conduct an independent audit of Maricopa County's election results from November's general election. This will now be the fourth time since the election that ballots have been audited.
In a statement, Arizona Senate Leadership said it has "hired a team of independent auditors to complete a comprehensive, full forensic audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County". The audit will also include a hand recount of all ballots.
Representative Charlene Fernandez (D - Ariz.), who represents Yuma County, said she doesn't see the point in re-litigating an election that's already been certified.
“No matter which way we go, what they find, they’re never going to be happy with. When the election was taking place at the Maricopa County offices, they have cameras in that room, they know who goes in and out, people wear badges, they know who’s doing the counting", said Rep. Fernandez.
It's worth noting that since the election, there has been no solid evidence of voter fraud brought forth. Still, state Republicans argue conducting a full and transparent audit of the county's more than 2.1 million ballots will ensure voters' voices weren't drowned out by possible irregularities.
“With all the things that have been going on nationwide, we just want to make sure people have confidence in the system and the machines. So, having a more comprehensive audit should be important for our voters", said Tim Dunn (R - Ariz.), who also represents Yuma County.
Rep. Dunn says although previous audits in Maricopa County have come up short, he wants to make sure each and every ballot was verified. In the previous three audits, Dunn notes only a portion of the total ballots were audited.
“By me saying we’re doing an audit, that doesn’t mean the election was stolen. I want my constituents that voted for me in Maricopa County to know that we’re going to trust, but verify.”
The results from the audit will be submitted in 60 days.
News 11 reached out to the Arizona State Senate President's office to see how much this audit will cost taxpayers, and how much money each company will be getting paid for conducting it. We are still waiting to hear back.
