Topline
A new forensic audit found “no evidence of tampering or hacking” in voting machines in Maricopa County, Arizona, county officials announced Tuesday, offering more proof last November’s presidential election was not stolen from former President Donald Trump despite baseless claims from his allies in Arizona and across the country.
Key Facts
Election workers in Maricopa County — home to Phoenix and more than half of Arizona’s population — hired two independent auditing firms last month to inspect the hardware and software on computers and ballot scanners made by Dominion Voting Systems.
The auditors found no unexpected software modifications, viruses or unapproved hardware on any of the dozens of machines they inspected, and they saw no evidence the devices were connected to the internet, according to two reports released Tuesday.
This audit follows several other narrower accuracy tests conducted by the county.
Crucial Quote
“The audits clearly dispel the notion that somehow the November election was rigged,” county Supervisor Steve Gallardo wrote. “Whether you liked the results or not, the will of the people was represented. Our equipment worked. Our people were above reproach.”
Key Background
In the weeks following President Joe Biden’s narrow win in Arizona, Trump insisted without proof that the election was dogged by widespread fraud. The Trump campaign, the Arizona Republican Party and several allies filed a wave of unsuccessful lawsuits seeking to stop the state from certifying Biden’s win, pointing to alleged irregularities. Outside the courtroom, Trump and some GOP officials zeroed in on Dominion Voting Systems, falsely implying the company’s election equipment (which is used in Arizona and more than two dozen other states) was deliberately rigged by shadowy pro-Biden forces. But this latest audit seems to indicate Arizona’s voting machines performed soundly.
Surprising Fact
Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward zealously sowed doubt about the state’s election system last year, recording a six-minute video filled with unverified allegations about Dominion Voting Systems. Dominion is now suing several Trump-affiliated figures for defamation, and Ward has reportedly received a cease-and-desist letter from the company, indicating she could also face a lawsuit. The state GOP did not respond to requests for comment.
What To Watch For
For some Arizona Republicans, Maricopa County’s forensic audit will not spell the end of these election-related concerns. The state Senate is pushing the county to hand over its voting machines and ballots for yet another audit.
Tangent
Trump has suggested virtually every battleground state won by Biden was awash with vote-rigging, but there’s no proof of widespread fraud anywhere in the country. Last week, a statistical analysis of several states by MITRE Corporation found no evidence to support any of Trump’s election-related conspiracy theories, including faulty Dominion voting machines, vote-flipping or late-night dumps of fake ballots.