Four AZ Legislators now call for a full audit of Maricopa County voting software and equipment. Senate President Karen Fann and Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers, Senate Government Chair Michelle Ugenti-Rita and House Majority Leader Warren Petersen put out a joint press release Friday.
“A significant number of voters believe that fraud occurred and with the number of irregularities it is easy to understand why,” said House Majority Leader Petersen in the Press Release. “Especially concerning are the allegations made surrounding the vendor Dominion. It is imperative that the County immediately do a forensic audit on the Dominion software and equipment to make sure the results were accurate.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Legislative Leaders call for audit of Maricopa County election software and equipment #AZSenate #AZleg #Election @AZHouseGOP pic.twitter.com/wDlr7v0fDT
— AZSenateRepublicans (@AZSenateGOP) December 4, 2020
This news comes after a massive disagreement has developed between Governor Doug Ducey who certified the election during AZ Legislators’ evidentiary hearing and AZGOP Chair Dr. Kelli Ward.
How Maricopa County Supervisors Responded
The election was certified by the five member Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously, and Chairman Clint Hickman seemed passive and ambivalent to his constituents’ and Republican colleagues’ concerns.
“In a free democracy elections result in some people’s candidates losing,” Chairman Clint Hickman said “I was disappointed in the outcome of a couple races and I was extremely happy with the outcome in others. But I’m not going to violate the law or deviate from my own moral compass as some have pushed me to do.”
However, this position ignores the Constitutional arguments raised by those like Rep. Mark Finchem
Article II, Sec 1, Par 2 of the Constitution explicitly vests the power to choose a slate of electors to the State Legislature.
Article IIII, the Supremacy Clause, nullifies any State Statute saying otherwise.
Gov. Ducey says he ‘did his job’. Now it’s time for us to do ours.
— Mark Finchem (@MarkFinchem) December 4, 2020
Supervisor Steve Chucri however, indicated more openness to the audit according to local radio station KTAR.
“Let’s get all the concerns from both sides, Republicans and Democrats, answered and make sure that everyone feels has a higher level of confidence in our election system,” he said.
According to the Arizona Daily Independent concerns raised during Arizona Legislator’s Evidentiary hearing by Colonel Phil Waldron have not been addressed and must be. They point out the following Dominion irregularities uncovered by Col. Waldron among others.
- Ability to go on the internet, and a strong indication that they communicated, on the morning of the election, with a server in Germany.
- USB ports that may allow tampering via thumb drives
- User manual language that alludes to ways in which tampering may occur.
- Dominion machines are derivatives of the machines created by Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, with the assistance of the Cubans, for the purpose of disrupting, or changing the outcomes of, elections in Latin America and elsewhere.
The Only Path Forward
Until these concerns are addressed, none but the most stringent and meticulous forensic audits will be sufficient. As President Trump outlined in what he billed “The Most IMPORTANT Speech I have ever Made“,
“The only way to determine whether there was an honest vote is to conduct a full review of the envelopes in the relevant states. You will find that many of them, tens of thousands, have fraudulent signatures. A full forensic audit is required to ensure that only legal ballots from lawfully registered voters that were properly cast are included in the final count.”
Unless Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin complete these audits before a President-Elect is declared by Congress, no-one will ever trust the electoral system in America again.
