Share
Commentary

AZ Audit Exclusive: Ballots Arrived to Audit Literally Stuffed in Boxes, Protocols Thrown Out the Window

Share

The establishment media has consistently attempted to paint the ongoing audit of the 2020 presidential election in Maricopa County, Arizona, as a partisan hit job.

On the contrary, Arizona state Senate President Karen Fann said in an exclusive interview with The Western Journal last week that the audit has uncovered questionable practices that need to be addressed.

One of the issues Fann discussed was the haphazard nature in which the ballots had been placed into boxes and presented to the auditors.

“The ballots, when they showed up, literally, they are in boxes that are literally just stuffed in there,” Fann said. “They’re supposed to be organized. There’s supposed to be these pink sheets between that says there are certain numbers there, a certain number of ballots there. There weren’t.”

Trending:
Hillary Clinton Jumps Into Trump 'Bloodbath' Frenzy with a Question, Doesn't Want to Hear the Answers

While this does not necessarily mean voter fraud occurred, it at least shows that Maricopa County election officials were not acting in a professional manner.

“So the auditor, literally, in trying to preserve everything the exact way it is, had to, like, very carefully take [the ballots] out to do what we needed to make sure we put them back exactly as we found them, even though it was a mess.”

It was not just the lack of professionalism from Maricopa County officials that proved to be an issue. Fann indicated she was certain officials had actively sabotaged the audit.

“They withheld the blue tally sheets,” she said. “We have not gotten the chain of custody [documentation for ballots]. We have not gotten the routers, the passcodes, the fobs.”

Do you think the Maricopa County audit will show the 2020 election was not handled honestly?

In addition to withholding certain materials that are necessary for the audit, Maricopa County officials themselves have not even been able to access certain necessary information. Dominion Voting Systems, the independent company that contracts with the county for voting equipment, controls that, she said.

“Maricopa County doesn’t even have control over their own election system,” Fann said. “Only Dominion has those passwords and they have 24-hour-a-day access to those computers.”

All told, it is clear that Maricopa County officials could make vast improvements before the next election cycle. At the very least, this audit has proved that much.

At a rally Saturday in Phoenix, the seat of Maricopa County, former President Donald Trump praised the ongoing audit and the Arizona Republicans who have championed it.

“We’re gathered here in Phoenix to show our support for election integrity and for the brave and unyielding conservative warriors in the Arizona state Senate,” he said according to The Washington Times. “Thank you. You’ve created a movement all over the country.”

Related:
Judge Rules Trump's Georgia Case Can Continue but Gives Fani Willis Two Options She Won't Like

Marketed as the “Rally to Protect Our Elections” by the conservative group Turning Point, the event drew massive crowds in downtown Phoenix. Judging by the audience response, election integrity remains a key concern for many Americans.

To conclude, Fann said the main purpose of the ongoing audit is not overturning past election results, but rather ensuring safe and secure elections in the future. She asked skeptics of the audit not to accept the notion of widespread voter fraud, but rather to have an open mind about potential findings and changes that may need to be made.

“Just give us a chance,” she said. “Give the vendors, the auditors, a chance to show what they come up with or what they don’t come up with. And then ask them to prove it six ways from Sunday.

“And if they do, have an open enough mind to say, ‘You know what? I think we do have some problems and we need to fix it. Or, if they don’t prove it, then fine, you can say, ‘OK, I don’t think that there’s any problem and I’ll go to the booth, the voting booth, next year and know that there’s no problem.’

“Either way, I want them to go to the booth knowing there’s no problem.”

Regardless of one’s political affiliation, that should be a reasonable request. If an audit can help secure future election integrity, that is something every honest American should want to get behind.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , ,
Share
Grant is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He has five years of writing experience with various outlets and enjoys covering politics and sports.
Grant is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He has five years of writing experience with various outlets and enjoys covering politics and sports.




Conversation