“In a bid to bolster former President Donald Trump’s lies about widespread fraud in the 2020 election, Trump’s Republican allies are now seeking Arizona-style audits in other swing states,” CNN reported on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Read story here.
So far, only one such “audit” is underway — in Arizona, where GOP state senators ordered election officials in populous Maricopa County, where Democratic voters delivered the state’s electoral votes to Biden, to turn over their ballots and voting machines to a private company run by a Trump supporter who spreads false conspiracy theories about the election. (Maricopa County has two-thirds of the state’s entire population. The rest of the state is mostly rural, and heavily Republican.)
Journalists and independent observers have been locked out of this ersatz recount, and no one except Republican diehards will believe its results, but it’s damaging nevertheless because it’ll be exploited to further undermine Republicans’ willingness to accept election results. From there, it’s a fairly direct path to political violence, as we saw on January 6.
Georgia is likely the next target of these sham audits, and Republicans in other states appear eager to demand copycat “reviews” of ballots that have already been recounted using proper procedures.
The Arizona “audit” has been beset by numerous controversies, including absurd claims that 40,000+ votes were flown in from China, and now a false assertion (loudly echoed by Trump) that county election officials deleted data, which they debunked by producing the data.
But for Republican diehards, facts have nothing to do with it. They want to believe the election was stolen, and that’s that. The purpose of antics like Arizona’s fake “audit” are to feed this hunger. It’s as dishonest as all get-out, but all we can do is avoid conversations with people who cling to baseless conspiracy theories like “bamboo ballots.” I’m not advocating ostracizing them; I’m simply saying we don’t have time for this, and if they end up socially isolated, they brought it on themselves.
Photo: An “auditor” inspects a ballot with ultraviolet light for traces of bamboo fibers
Democrats could have taken the bull by the horns and done real in depth audits that could be bi partisan. Now the bulls are gonna be lose in the streets before the bull fights. If nothing else the audit is pissing Democrats off, always a good thing think Republicans. If Republicans show actual questionable stuff then the cycle renews. When Democrats demand investigations into insurrection then the cycle begins again. There were actual issues of substance the courts punted on and did not rule on and did not do their job. Questions that before the election got the issue is not ripe and after the elections the same issues got you did not bring this to the court soon enough or nothing to see here. Courts and Governors and officials making election rules that the constitution says only the legislature can do are issues audits can delve into.
This past election has issues. It was close. And frankly the incumbent improved the number of votes he received and in every other election in the US where that has happened the person won a second term.
Rather than wait for the bulls Democrats ought to arrange audits in Philly, Detroit, and Atlanta that are real audits. Otherwise there are going to be goring’s from this running og the bulls. The bullfights ought to be fun.
[Caution to readers: This comment contains non-factual assertions. — Ed.]
There are procedures in place for recounting ballots and challenging election results, and a private “audit” sponsored by a political party and run by a conspiracy peddler isn’t one of them. These ballots were officially recounted twice, and Trump’s fraud claims got the consideration they deserved in the courts, i.e. dismissed for lack of evidence. This “audit” is a partisan stunt whose sole purpose is to reinforce his lies, and risks inciting more political violence. The only “issue” is Republicans’ refusal to accept the election results, disrespect for other Americans’ electoral rights, and continuing assault on democracy. Running of the bulls? Gorings? Are you talking about political violence? The right answer to that is National Guard troops, prosecutions and prison terms, and whatever else is required to protect our democracy from those who would violently overthrow it.