When Is An Audit Of An Election Not An Election Audit?
Whether he meant to or not, a deputy county attorney for Maricopa County raised eyebrows and questions when he told a judge Wednesday that the county’s much-touted “audit” of its election department’s electronic voting system and election processes isn’t really an election audit.
“We dispute the premise of [attorney] Mr. Kielsky and the Libertarian Party’s complaint that an audit of an election is occurring that would be subject to the laws that Mr. Kielsky is citing,” Deputy County Attorney Joseph La Rue said during the first hearing in a lawsuit filed by the Maricopa County Libertarian Party against several county officials.
La Rue’s comments came during Judge Joseph Mikitish’s first hearing in the case which stems from Maricopa County officials denying the Libertarians’ lawfully-recognized election observer access to the two contracted audits approved by the BOS to address voter concerns about the accuracy and security of the county’s voting process.
The judge mainly addressed scheduling matters during the hearing but cautioned La Rue that the county’s continued exclusion of party observers is done “at their own risk” in the event the county’s actions are “ultimately determined to be contrary to the statutes and law.”
The three recognized political parties in Maricopa County -the Democrats, Libertarians, Republicans- are permitted by law to participate in pre-election and post-election audits…..
This article was originally published at ADI on January 17, 2021.
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RELATED ARTICLE: Libertarian Party Hits Maricopa County With Lawsuit For Denying Access To Audits.
