[ad_1]
More than half of all Arizona counties have conducted post-election audits and found no discrepancies or microscopic issues that would not affect the outcome, according to reports filed with the secretary of state’s office.
Audits in Arizona’s four largest counties, which comprised 86% of all votes for president in the state, yielded no evidence of the systematic voter fraud that President Trump has complained about. No wrongdoing was found in Maricopa County, which is home to Phoenix. Officials in Pima County, home to Tucson, audited a random sample of 4,239 votes in the presidential race and found only a two-vote discrepancy.
Arizona currently has the closest margin between Trump and President-elect Joe Biden. Biden is ahead by 11,537 votes, or just 0.34% of more than 3.3 million ballots cast statewide. Fewer than 25,000 ballots remain to be counted, according to the secretary of state’s office. CNN has yet to project a winner.
Earlier Thursday, Trump tweeted, “From 200,000 votes to less than 10,000 votes. If we can audit the total votes cast, we will win Arizona easily too!” The numbers he cited were inaccurate: Biden’s lead in Arizona hasn’t dropped below 10,000.
Under state law, bipartisan audit boards routinely conduct manual counting audits of early ballots and ballots in all 15 Arizona counties. Audits, which counties begin within 24 hours after polls close, must include five races, including the presidential race. By regulation, the regular ballots from at least two constituencies or 2% of constituencies, whichever is greater, must count. Venues are selected at random, by lottery.
Three Republican-leaning counties, Yuma, Gila and La Paz, did not conduct the audits because local GOP presidents did not designate members to participate, election officials said. His lack of participation is surprising, considering that Trump has been spreading unsubstantiated allegations that Republican election watchers have been marginalized.
[ad_2]
