An Arizona judge recently ruled that the state senate can have access to 2.1 million ballots and voting equipment from Maricopa County to audit results of the 2020 election.
Maricopa County was one of several counties in swing states across the nation where Democrat Joe Biden did a remarkable (and questioned) come-from-behind to win the presidency.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors had objected to a state senate subpoenas for the ballots, saying they are secret and the legislature has no right to see them.
The Board of Supervisors recently released results of what it said are two independent audits of the voting equipment showing no irregularities.
But Arizona state senators want to conduct their own forensic audit.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason agreed with Senate lawyers that the Constitution gives the legislature the role of maintaining the purity of elections and making sure voter integrity is protected. He ruled the subpoenas are “legal and enforceable”.
Absent a higher court ruling, the county is required to provide the ballots to the senate for inspection within the time frame provided in the subpoenas (typically 20 days).
