Phoenix (AP) —Wednesday judge refused to suspend recounting 2.1 million votes from the Republican-led Senate Arizona from the 2020 elections in the state’s most populous county, but its contractor Ordered to disclose the secrets of the ballots used by the United States and the privacy procedures of voters.
Judge Daniel Martin’s decision in the Maricopa County Superior Court was both a defeat and a victory for the Arizona Democrats, who claimed that the secrets sought by the Senate jeopardized the privacy of voters. Democrats have the right to know how ballots are being aggregated, and at least without knowing how recounting is done, the process will regain the privacy of voters. He insisted that it would be impaired.
Martin is a Senate contractor (a company led by a Florida man who shares an unfounded conspiracy theory claiming that the official results of the 2020 presidential election are illegal and that former President Donald Trump actually won. ) Admitted when I ordered it to create a recount plan. President Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona was the first Democratic victory since Bill Clinton’s 1996 victory.
The Senate and its contractor, Cyber Ninjas, have policies and procedures for recounting the votes of the President and the US Senate in Maricopa County, protected under legislative immunity, and documents are confidential. Insisted that. Mark Kelly won the Senate and sent two Democratic Senators to Washington for the first time since the 1952 election.
Martin defeated both arguments, but he called on the Senate to ask the Court of Appeals or the State Supreme Court to review his decision until noon Thursday.
“The Senate defendants claim that Cyber Ninja’s policies and procedures are protected by legislative privileges. The courts disagree,” Martin said. “The court found that Cyber Ninjas did not show that there was a top priority interest in supporting the sealing and submission of its policies and procedures and overcoming public access to it. “
The court hearing on Thursday was the latest in a series that began when the state legislature summoned ballots and ballot counters in Maricopa County, and was able to audit the results showing Biden’s victory in Arizona. It was. Trump supporters claimed without evidence that he had lost due to fraud in Arizona and other fierce battle states.
The county fought a ballot request. However, Republican Senate Chair Karen Fann gained access to them in February. They were delivered to the Phoenix State Trade Fair last week. Mr. Huang said he would like to somehow prove that the Republican voting allegations are valid and use the results of the audit to create the latest election law.
Senate Democrats call auditing an effort to perpetuate a “big lie.” This is called Trump’s claim that he only lost because of election fraud. The Republican-led county supervisory board supports the election results approved by state authorities, including Republican Governor Doug Duchy, on November 30.
Sign language began last Friday, with Cyber Ninja overseeing the process and former Republican Secretary of State Ken Bennett liaison to the Senate’s efforts. Bennett said voters were kept secret on Tuesday night, with less than 100,000 votes voted in the last four days. But he said the recount was expected to be completed on time by May 14.
“We could tell all Arizona within a few weeks that we could put full integrity and confidence in their elections, or we need to improve some parts of the elections. There is, “Bennett said.
At a court hearing on Thursday, Senate lawyer Cory Langhofer told Judge Martin that there was no personally identifiable information on the ballot, so no surveillance was needed, and the election was approved, so recounting could overturn it. He said he couldn’t.
“And of those 2.1 million votes, the number of individuals whose votes were abandoned or not counted as a result of the audit is so far zero,” Langhofer said. Of course, we expect it to remain zero. They are already counted through an authoritative process. They are certified. The winner of the election has been declared. “