by Michelle Edwards at UncoverDC
Following a six-month investigation of the Maricopa County Forensic Audit of the 2020 election, Attorney General Mark Brnovich released his Interim Report on Wednesday, validating widely held concerns of errors, oversight, and election fraud. Substantiating those fighting for election integrity, the AG confirmed, “We have reached the conclusion that the 2020 election in Maricopa County revealed serious vulnerabilities that must be addressed and raises questions about the 2020 election in Arizona.”
In a 12-page letter to the Honorable Karen Fann, Brnovich communicated concerns over the “potential vulnerabilities” in the state’s election systems, including those highlighted in the audit. Though limited in what he can presently disclose, Brnovich affirmed that the AG’s General Election Integrity Unit (EIU) has uncovered instances of election fraud in its ongoing examination and shared the current status of their review.
Reporting that Maricopa County’s early ballot signature verification system is “insufficient to guard against abuse,” the EUI declared system-wide issues connected to early ballot handling and verification. Likewise, the review found that in “multiple instances,” the county failed to follow essential procedures when transporting early ballots from drop locations to the election headquarters. Significantly, the AG estimated that “between 100,000 and 200,000 ballots were transported without a proper chain of custody.” The report adds:
“Because most voters in Arizona now choose to vote by early ballot, it is imperative that the processes for handling and verification of early ballots be strengthened before the 2022 elections per our recommendations below.”
ARIZONA ELECTION 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 6, 2022
PHOENIX, AZ
RE: SEN. KELLY TOWNSEND REACTS TO GENERAL BRNOVICH’S LETTER TO SEN. PRESIDENT KAREN FANN @AZKELLYT— SILVIO COSTA (@SMCOSTA6) APRIL 7, 2022
The report is broken down into seven sections, discussing document production issues the EIU has confronted in Maricopa County as well as spotlighting election integrity concerns and recommendations surrounding early ballot signature verification, ballot drop boxes, use of private grant monies by election officials, election document preservation and transparency, and its ongoing actions to defend election integrity in active litigation. Brnovich provides a summary conclusion at the end of each section, with several highlighted below…
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