Arizona’s Maricopa County announced it will replace all of the voting machines subpoenaed by the Republican-led state Senate after the independent audit of the county’s 2020 election results has concluded.
Last month, the state’s Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs advised Maricopa County officials to replace its voting machines over concerns the audit has hurt their “security and integrity” because the chain of custody had been “compromised.”
“The lack of physical security and transparency means we cannot be certain who accessed the voting equipment and what might have been done to them,” Hobbs, who is running for governor, said at the time.
In a response, Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel agreed and said that plan is already in place.
“The voters of Maricopa County can rest assured, the County will never use equipment that could pose a risk to free and fair elections. The County recognizes Secretary Hobbs’ authority under A.R.S. § 16-442 to certify equipment for use in Arizona’s elections. As a result, the County will not use the subpoenaed equipment in any future elections,” the county said in a statement on Monday.
“Maricopa County noted this potential risk in February when it asked the court for guidance on the Senate subpoenas,” the statement continued. “Since then, the County has implemented back up plans that include acquiring new tabulation equipment for the March and May jurisdictional elections in 2021.”
The independent audit began earlier this year after the Arizona Senate was granted permission by the courts to subpoena Maricopa County’s ballots, voting machines, and voting results from the 2020 presidential election.
Last week, the audit came to a close after investigators finished a recount of the 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County.
Ken Bennett, who is serving as the Arizona Senate’s liaison for the audit, said he expects the results of the review to be released later this summer.
