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By: Kayla Vix

LWV of Arizona Files in Support of Public Transparency in AZ Senate’s Sham Election “Audit”

Press Release / Last Updated:

UPDATE Sept. 14, 2021: The Arizona Supreme Court denied review of the appeal in American Oversight v. Arizona Senate and dissolved the stay that had prevented the release of the Cyber Ninjas documents.

PHOENIX, AZ — Today, the League of Women Voters of Arizona filed an amicus brief in support of transparency in the Arizona Senate’s so-called “audit” of votes cast in Maricopa County during the 2020 Election. 

“First, the Arizona Senate violated voters’ privacy by granting an unreputable hired firm authority to go door-to-door asking Maricopa County residents how they voted. Now, they seek to hide records relating to their sham audit,” said Pinny Sheoran, president elect of the League of Women Voters of Arizona. “The Arizona Senate seems to think it’s fine to violate voters’ privacy on the one hand but refuse to provide those same voters with transparency of their actions on the other. The Arizona Senate must comply with public records requests.” 

Last spring, the Arizona Senate hired Florida-based cybersecurity firm Cyber Ninjas to perform an audit of Maricopa County’s election results — despite overwhelming evidence that the county’s election was run accurately and securely. The League of Women Voters of Arizona has been vocal on the issue of protecting voters’ privacy relating to this process since the beginning. Now, after conducting an invasive canvass of Maricopa County residents, the Arizona Senate refuses to comply with open records requests relating to their probe, citing legislative immunity. 

“The 2020 Election was carried out safely, securely, and accurately because of the dedicated work of election administrators around the country, including in Maricopa County,” said Dr. Deborah Ann Turner, board president of the League of Women Voters of the United States. “Continued baseless attempts to find fault in the election where there is none only harm voters and are especially contemptible without transparency in the process. States must focus on serving their residents rather than wasting their tax money on anti-democratic schemes.” 

The League of Women Voters is joined in this case by First Amendment Coalition of Arizona and represented by Perkins Coie LLP. 

Read the brief here. 

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