The Truth Behind the Results of the Maricopa County Election Audit

September 27, 2021 | Ralph Neas, Richard A. Gephardt, Timothy E. Wirth, Gary Hart and Anthony Essaye | The Century Foundation

This past Friday, September 24, the result of the so-called “audit” of the election results in Maricopa County by the Republican Majority in the Arizona Senate was finally announced. Though clearly initiated in bad faith and funded with the purpose of finding support for The Big Lie that the election was “stolen” from former President Trump, the Arizona Senate’s contractor Cyber Ninjas ultimately reported that President Biden had won the county and found no evidence of fraud.

Despite the lack of experience of the audit managers in the field of elections, the Cyber Ninjas report proposed a variety of amendments to Arizona’s election laws that would add further burdens on the voting rights of Arizona’s citizens. These legislative proposals are based on suspicions and conjectures, set out in the report, as to possible irregularities and deficiencies on the part of Maricopa County officials in the conduct of the election.

The Cyber Ninjas’ allegations were promptly refuted by county officials and other election experts, mostly Republicans. Nevertheless, they remain a cause for concern, as they serve to undermine public trust in the voting process. …