In late September, the Republican-backed “audit” of votes in Maricopa County confirmed—yet again—that Joe Biden had legitimately won the electoral votes of the State of Arizona. To summarize: This was an unprecedented extra review of votes based in conspiracy theories that happened after certification of the results by the (Republican-led) Board of Supervisors, conducted by a company who had never audited an election before and whose founder claimed the election was rigged before conducting the audit—all while costing Maricopa County millions of dollars in the process.
The entire recount was a mess and a circus. An expensive mess and circus. Despite a prior agreement to cover expenses, GOP state senators forced the Maricopa County and taxpayers to foot the bill for new voting machines following the audit under threat of the state government pulling hundreds of millions in revenue sharing funds.
We should not let a similar costly frivolity occur here in Pima County.
Sadly, the cancerous movement to hamper Arizona democracy is somehow still growing. Conspiracy-fueled advocates of “Stop the Steal” have yet to back down despite the fact that even the partisan-led, amateurishly handled Cyber Ninjas report demonstrated no evidence of widespread voter fraud. State Senate President Karen Fann can claim any nonsense she wants, but Arizona’s election was completely aboveboard.
Still, on Friday, Oct. 15, the GOP push to invalidate the legitimate results of the Arizona 2020 Presidential Election returned in force. An e-mail statement from former President Donald Trump claimed that “A new analysis of mail-in ballots in Pima County, Arizona means the election was Rigged and Stolen [sic] from the Republican Party in 2020, and in particular, its Presidential Candidate.” This is patently false, but what’s new?
Just when you thought talk of an Arizona recount was dead… here we go again.
Honestly, we should have seen this coming. Contention surrounding the results of the Pima County election is nothing new. On Nov. 17, just a few weeks following the 2020 election, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to formally certify county-wide election results in what is usually a vote of formality. However, as with everything, 2020 proved far more complicated. Republican supervisors claimed there were voting irregularities despite having no evidence and that Arizona’s Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich found no validity in their claims. The supervisors who voted against certification peddled the same ‘SharpieGate’ conspiracy theory that right-wing activists espoused on election night (and yes, the theory was summarily debunked).
What’s scarier is that Arizona State Rep. Mark Finchem (you know, the one who was at the Stop the Steal rally on January 6th fomenting insurrection) is supporting the former President’s claims. At a Trump rally earlier this month, Finchem claimed to have a source that more than 30,000 fictitious votes were registered in Pima County. Unsurprisingly, the Oro Valley Republican has been unable to provide any tangible proof for this claim. Instead, he has relied on video “analysis” from Shiva Ayyadurai—a self-proclaimed audit and elections expert—who has repeatedly failed to understand Maricopa County ballot procedures during State Senate testimony and claimed to be the inventor of e-mail (he is not).
In response to the hubbub, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry re-iterated the validity of the election results: “Pima County conducted a free, fair, secure, and accurate election.” Huckelberry also pointed out that a public, hand-counted audit was already conducted by both the county Democratic and Republican parties. Huckelberry concluded his statement by noting that “if there is anyone who believes they have evidence of wrongdoing, they should provide such evidence to proper investigative authorities…” I’ll translate: There is no evidence of this fraud, and if there were these right-wing activists would have submitted it already.
Trump, Finchem and Shiva’s claims have also been debunked by Benny White, a Republican who used to sit on the Pima County Election Accuracy and Certification Board and who was the party’s 2020 nominee for County Recorder, the office that oversees voter rolls and early voting. After all that, if you still have doubts, at least take the word of Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cazares-Kelly and the multi-partisan Pima County Election Integrity Commission that found “no reason to question the results of the 2020 Pima County Election.” None.
So, if local officials do not believe the lies being peddled, why is a known conspiracy theorist sharing lies from an MIT graduate and supporting a president he’s long been tied to so concerning?
First, there’s now an ongoing petition to start a forensic audit in Pima County much like the one in Maricopa that wasted taxpayers’ time, money and patience. As part of this request, Finchem and Trump are also asking for the Arizona election results to be decertified. That alone is corrosive to local democratic values.
Still, at this point, it feels like far-right throwaway attempts at democracy subversion are a dime a dozen. Finchem, however, seems to have plans that are far more concerning. See, he is currently running to control elections throughout Arizona as Secretary of State on a platform centered around “fixing” our electoral system. So, Finchem and Trump are not just coming for the results of the Pima County election this time around but want to be put in charge of Arizona elections in the future too.
Now that’s terrifying. This whole push for a recount is subversive political theater at worst and a deranged conspiracy at best. Either way, it only serves to hurt the constituents of Pima County and erode faith in our democratic system. Don’t listen to Trump or Finchem, it’s the same tired lie—this time just with some Pima-centric
spin.
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2021.
“…unprecedented…”
We’ve been auditing organizations for over 600 years!!! You taking the position that we shouldn’t audit the Democrats in an election!!!
A huge percentage of the electorate believes that the election was stolen.
Why would they believe that??? Why would someone believe that a political party which spent $12 million to forge a “Russian Dossier” and trashed our politics with it for four years believe that the same party would spend $50 million to steal an entire election??? Why???
Yes we know that the Democrats stole the election, we just don’t know how yet. But, our suspicion is focused on the fact that the completely corrupt Justice department is taking the position that voters can’t be audited, that you can’t ask someone whether they voted or not, despite that fact that polling organizations have been asking that question for decades.
“…taxpayers to foot the bill for new voting machines…”
The Maricopa County board has taken the position that voting machines can be certified and trusted by running a series of inexpensive tests on them. Yet, somehow, they have taken the position that $8 million of machines can’t be certified and won’t run the tests on them.
So which is it???? Are they corrupt or stupid??? Take your choice.
WHY DO THE REPUBLICKUNTS THINK THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN DEMAND AUDITS OF ELECTIONS! DEMOCRATS SHOULD START DEMANDING AUDITS OF QUESTIONABLE ELECTIONS IN MAINE, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND KENTUCKY WHERE DEMOCRATS LED IN ALL THE POLLS. DEMOCRATS SHOULD START DEMANDING AUDITS OF ELECTIONS JUST FOR THE GENERAL PRINCIPLE OF IT! TOO MANY QUESTIONABLE ELECTIONS WHERE REPUBLICKUNTS WON SHOULD BE AUDITED! DON’T LET REPUBLICKUNTS HAVE ALL THE FUN! SINCE THE ACCUSERS AREN’T BEING HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXPENSE OF THE AUDIT LETS DO IT EVERYWHERE!
“DEMOCRATS SHOULD START DEMANDING AUDITS OF QUESTIONABLE ELECTIONS”
Yep, and it happened. In Maine, a Democrat Legislator lost a close race and the legislature approved an audit. Result? She lost by over 30% more in the audit.
Turned out that the infallible machines miscounted the Republican votes, by a lot.
Every see the Wizard of Oz?
Remember the the part where Toto pulls back the curtain to reveal the wizard as a complete humbug and bully.
The AZ GOP is the wizard and they are authoritarian humbugs and bullies.
This is just part of a set of vicious tactics to intimidate voters while bullying and harassing election officials and civil servants into resigning.
Not only are they harassing election officials but school boards and other local governmental officials.
If you like authoritarian governments, you’ll love the GOP.
Let’s go Brandon 👏👏👏👏👏
We all know why democrats will not demand election audits.
Let’s Go Brandon!
Virginia’s Democrat Party has officially sued the Post Office in Richmond’s Federal District Court. They are claiming that the handling of absentee ballots may deprive thousands of the right to vote.
Democrats are arguing that it would have an impact on the outcome of tomorrows’ Virginia Governor race.
Now we know how they won because they just told us. The fraud is in the absentee ballots. It always has been.
That’s why last November they stopped counting in the swing states so they could stuff the boxes with fraudulent ballots that had no live voter.
But they have chosen to blame the Post Office? All those good union postal workers that vote demo at every election? The wheels are coming off their lying buggy folks.
Maybe liberals can get a bunch of people to dress up as Casual Friday tiki-torch-carrying racists to help them win. Dont forget the blacks and women because that makes it all the more real! LOL (because Lord knows my growing rent check and decreasing grocery cart arent real!)
To transform the American economy (that funds the world) to socialism, you would have to steal many elections.
It appears that they have.