PHOENIX — Maricopa County delivered its election equipment and 2.1 million ballots cast in November's election to Veterans Memorial Stadium so Republicans in the state Senate can recount the ballots and audit the tabulation machines.
You can watch a livestream of the audit here.
The deliveries that start Wednesday will kick off weeks of counting at the fairgrounds site rented by the Republican-controlled Senate.
The county refused to allow the Senate to use its facilities after losing a court fight set off by a Senate subpoena for the election materials.
Last month, the county released the results of two new audits of its equipment that showed no malicious software or incorrect counting equipment.
Election leaders from across the state sent Senate President Fann a letter Thursday demanding transparency in the audit process.
"Election observation and transparency is a core tenet of American elections. While observers from political parties seek to ensure that election administration does not disadvantage their campaigns, nonpartisan observers are interested in promoting integrity, transparency, and efficiency in the electoral process. Observers focus on checking compliance with election administration regulations and procedures," the letter reads in part. "These procedures, such as the method of hand-counting and the forms used to collect, report, and aggregate vote totals, will impact the accuracy and integrity of the audit."
