- Jul 20, 2016
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I'll hit the main points about the audit and post a link to the documents at the end.
Why Maricopa County, Arizona?
Bidan won Arizona and the 11 Electoral Votes by fewer than 11,000 votes. Maricopa County has been heavily Republican for a long time, and the public reported many unusual, if not shady, occurrences during the election process. Yet, the county vote was for Bidan. The important and key component is that the state legislature (House and Senate) are majority Republican. In the USA, only the state legislatures can make rules and laws regarding voting, as well as call for an audit.
It also is one of the largest (by voters) counties in the country, and it was hoped that it would serve as example to other states. In fact, representatives from other states visited to see how the audit process was organized, and some states have begun some version of an audit.
Recount or Audit?
It was an audit, which includes a recount. However, an audit also reports the details and processes. It is up to the State Legislature to act and make referrals to the State Attorney General. Should the results be proven true, then the Legislature and Governor could decertify the election results and recall the electoral votes. What happens next is a bit murky, but I'll get to that later.
But the News Media said it proved Bidan still was the winner.
First out of the box before the report was made public in the Legislature hearing, were news stories saying only that the report confirmed the same counts and results. The real story is that there were many flagrant, obvious, and disturbing actions uncovered. The best analogy I've seen is that if you deposit $100,000 cash in the bank, you'll get an immediate receipt for $100,000. However, if the bank determines that $10,000 cash is counterfeit, then your deposit is changed to $90,000 - and - you'll probably receive a visit from law enforcement.
What were the audit results?
Here are some voting highlights -
Cyber Ninjas reported issues with 57,734 ballots.
Dr. Shiva reported issues with an additional 17,000 ballots.
Here are a few of the issues:
While these issues are bad, the most damning comes from the equipment. Federal law requires all voting records (paper and electronic) be preserved for 22 months after an election. This did not happen.
Highlights from machine inspections.
Two other things
Door-to-door canvassing was considered as part of the audit. People would be asked if they voted and was it by mail or in person - not who they voted for. The US Attorney General threatened the Arizona Legislature with legal action if they persisted, and it was quietly dropped. However, an independent group took up the challenge and found several anomalies. One residence showed 50 people registered as voters, but the woman who lived there for 20 years had never heard of them. Vacant lots were listed as addresses. Apartment complexes showed voters registered at non-existent apartment numbers. Some voters used mail service addresses, which are not residences.
Ballot paper is heavier (80 lb) so it runs through the scanning machines better. However, 10 different types of paper were observed in the ballots, including some at the 10 and 20 lb weight. When the printer was contacted he responded that Maricopa County instructed him not to cooperate. So, it is unknown if any of the ballots were counterfeit, although those light weight papers certainly raise eyebrows.
What will happen now?
Well, who knows, but there are options. However, all take us down a path on which no one has ever traveled. The Arizona governor recently stated that he would not decertify the election or recall the electoral votes. The legislature is out of session now and will not be back until January 2022, unless the governor calls a special session, which seems unlikely.
I found Praying Medic's summary (via telegram) very good and along the lines of what I'm thinking. (He lives in Arizona.) I've followed him for some time and find him to be a reasonable person.
The Audit Report
Why Maricopa County, Arizona?
Bidan won Arizona and the 11 Electoral Votes by fewer than 11,000 votes. Maricopa County has been heavily Republican for a long time, and the public reported many unusual, if not shady, occurrences during the election process. Yet, the county vote was for Bidan. The important and key component is that the state legislature (House and Senate) are majority Republican. In the USA, only the state legislatures can make rules and laws regarding voting, as well as call for an audit.
It also is one of the largest (by voters) counties in the country, and it was hoped that it would serve as example to other states. In fact, representatives from other states visited to see how the audit process was organized, and some states have begun some version of an audit.
Recount or Audit?
It was an audit, which includes a recount. However, an audit also reports the details and processes. It is up to the State Legislature to act and make referrals to the State Attorney General. Should the results be proven true, then the Legislature and Governor could decertify the election results and recall the electoral votes. What happens next is a bit murky, but I'll get to that later.
But the News Media said it proved Bidan still was the winner.
First out of the box before the report was made public in the Legislature hearing, were news stories saying only that the report confirmed the same counts and results. The real story is that there were many flagrant, obvious, and disturbing actions uncovered. The best analogy I've seen is that if you deposit $100,000 cash in the bank, you'll get an immediate receipt for $100,000. However, if the bank determines that $10,000 cash is counterfeit, then your deposit is changed to $90,000 - and - you'll probably receive a visit from law enforcement.
What were the audit results?
Here are some voting highlights -
Cyber Ninjas reported issues with 57,734 ballots.
Dr. Shiva reported issues with an additional 17,000 ballots.
Here are a few of the issues:
200+ people had two voter IDs and voted twice.
23,344 people voted with mail-in ballots sent to a previous address.
10,342 people voted in multiple counties.
9,041 mail-in votes showed more votes received than were sent to an individual.
2,081 people voted via mail-in ballots although they'd moved out of state more than 29 days prior to the election.
282 deceased voters
While these issues are bad, the most damning comes from the equipment. Federal law requires all voting records (paper and electronic) be preserved for 22 months after an election. This did not happen.
Highlights from machine inspections.
Maricopa Country is in charge of the machines and did not cooperate with the audit.
From the limited access, Cyber Ninjas determined that a single password was used by many people.
Software security updates were not performed.
A second bootable hard drive was found on one machine, and it contained data from other states.
Multiple data files that included the election activities were deleted.
One of these deletions occurred the day before the machines were to be turned over for the audit. These files were kept in a rolling file of limited size, which meant they could be overwritten. Not only did this happen on purpose, but Cyber Ninjas were able to determine the people who performed the tasks.
There were multiple open ports on the equipment, which means anyone could have access.
The machines did have internet access, and connections to Fox News and other sites were detected.
Two other things
Door-to-door canvassing was considered as part of the audit. People would be asked if they voted and was it by mail or in person - not who they voted for. The US Attorney General threatened the Arizona Legislature with legal action if they persisted, and it was quietly dropped. However, an independent group took up the challenge and found several anomalies. One residence showed 50 people registered as voters, but the woman who lived there for 20 years had never heard of them. Vacant lots were listed as addresses. Apartment complexes showed voters registered at non-existent apartment numbers. Some voters used mail service addresses, which are not residences.
Ballot paper is heavier (80 lb) so it runs through the scanning machines better. However, 10 different types of paper were observed in the ballots, including some at the 10 and 20 lb weight. When the printer was contacted he responded that Maricopa County instructed him not to cooperate. So, it is unknown if any of the ballots were counterfeit, although those light weight papers certainly raise eyebrows.
What will happen now?
Well, who knows, but there are options. However, all take us down a path on which no one has ever traveled. The Arizona governor recently stated that he would not decertify the election or recall the electoral votes. The legislature is out of session now and will not be back until January 2022, unless the governor calls a special session, which seems unlikely.
I found Praying Medic's summary (via telegram) very good and along the lines of what I'm thinking. (He lives in Arizona.) I've followed him for some time and find him to be a reasonable person.
The Audit Report
AUDIT | azsenategopcaucus
www.azsenaterepublicans.com