Statement on AG's findings of errors, failures and fraud uncovered from the Senate's 2020 audit

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement regarding AG's findings of errors, failures and fraud uncovered from the Senate's 2020 Maricopa County Election Audit

PHOENIX, ARIZONA-- State Senate President Karen Fann issues the following response:

"Today is a historic day for voter integrity in Arizona. We've wanted an entity with prosecutorial authority to validate the missteps our audit revealed, and this interim report does just that. The AG's findings of failures, fraud, and potential misconduct during the 2020 election in Maricopa County are not surprising, given the lack of compliance and cooperation Maricopa County elections officials displayed from the start.

The report details problematic system-wide issues that relate to early ballot handling and verification. In fact, an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 ballots were transported without a proper chain of custody.

These findings call for a stronger signature verification system, proper chain of custody procedures on ballot boxes, securing drop box locations, and the need for routine audits of our elections processes, which are all elements within the system that we've been fighting for.

We're thankful that the Attorney General's Office is diligently investigating the many serious issues raised in the Senate's election audit, in addition to addressing the concerns and questions from our constituents, which may have otherwise been ignored. Our goal is to restore integrity to our elections system. We look forward to receiving subsequent reports from the AG as his investigation unfolds. Meanwhile, our caucus will be working on the legislation recommendations set forth by the AG to strengthen our democratic process."

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For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications

Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov