Audits Restore Faith In Elections

Audits Restore Faith In Elections

By John Fund and Hans A. von Spakovsky with the Heritage Foundation |

Election audits of the 2020 election are under attack in the media.

It’s easy to see why some calls for audits have drawn criticism.

But audits can serve a very useful purpose. Glenn Youngkin, the Virginia Republican nominee for governor, is calling for an “audit” of the state’s voting machines. The former co-CEO of the Carlyle group says: “I grew up in a world where you have an audit every year, in businesses you have an audit. So let’s just audit the voting machines, publish it so everybody can see it.”

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Kari Lake, a former Phoenix news anchor whose candidacy for governor of Arizona has been endorsed by Donald Trump, said she would not have certified the 2020 election results in the state. She cited “serious irregularities and problems with the election”.

>>> What Needs to Happen Now That Arizona Election Audit Over

What she didn’t do was directly allege fraud—and that was smart. The official results showed Trump lost Arizona by some 10,000 votes out of some 3.4 million votes cast. A just-released forensic audit of Maricopa County’s result ordered by the GOP-controlled Arizona State Senate recounted about 2.1 million ballots cast in the county. It found 261 fewer ballots for Trump and 99 more for Biden than county had, prompting critics to declare the audit both irresponsible and a waste of time.

No one should now doubt that the final vote tabulation shows that Biden won the state. But critics of the audit either don’t understand the purpose of an audit or are trying to deliberately obscure the fact the Arizona audit turned up some worrying findings that should be used to avoid problems in future elections.

One of us has been a former county election official for large jurisdictions in both Georgia and Virginia.  Recounts—what the Arizona audit was—almost always only show slight differences from the original ballot tabulation. The fact that the hand recount in Maricopa County matched the machine recount simply means that the computer scanners used to scan and tabulate paper ballots were working properly. A recount simply recounts the ballots that were cast—a recount does not investigate, examine or review the legitimacy of those ballots.

A recount does not verify or check whether ballots were cast by registered voters who are actually deceased; who do not actually live where they claim to live; who cast multiple votes because they are registered more than once; or who are not entitled to vote even though they are registered because they are not US citizens or are felons who have not yet had their right to vote restored.

A simple example illustrates this problem. If a homeowners’ association has an election and the new president wins with 51 out of 100 votes, a recount will no doubt confirm that she received 51 votes. But it will not reveal whether 5 of her 51 votes were cast by individuals who falsely claimed to live in the neighborhood when they actually live elsewhere.

Volume III of the Maricopa audit lists some disturbing findings. That includes 23,344 “mail-in ballots voted from a prior address”; 9,041 “more ballots returned by voter than received”; 5,295 “voters that potentially voted in multiple counties”; 2,592 “more duplicates than original ballots”; and 2,382 “in-person voters who had moved out of Maricopa County”.

Numerous other problems are listed, such as voters whose ballots were counted despite the fact that they registered to vote after the state deadline for registration had already passed.

These are serious potential problems that should be investigated with the help of law enforcement. For example, the individual voter files of the 5,295 “voters that potentially voted in multiple counties” should be pulled, and each voter should be investigated to determine if they have multiple registrations and, in fact, illegally cast more than one vote in the 2020 election.

Contrary to what some passionate backers of Donald Trump seem to believe, the purpose of an audit is not to overturn an election. It is too late to do so. Every state has election laws that provide very short deadlines for a losing candidate to contest the outcome of an election. That deadline has long expired in Arizona and every other state.

Instead, audits are intended to determine whether voting machines worked properly; whether applicable state and federal laws and regulations were followed; whether the voter registration list was accurate and up-to-date and only allowed eligible individuals to vote; and whether all eligible voters were able to vote, that their vote was properly counted, and that their votes were not voided or nullified by fraud, mistakes, or errors.

The results of such an election audit can then be used to correct any compliance issues, to prosecute anyone who engaged in intentional misconduct that violates state or federal election laws, to change election administration procedures that led to errors and mistakes by election officials, and to provide legislators with the information they need to make needed amendments to election laws to make sure any problems that were found do not reoccur in future elections.

What is most disturbing about the reaction to the audit report is that so many seem to think that this is the end of the review process, since the hand recount showed that Biden won and, thus, nothing else needs to be done. This attitude is especially disturbing in Maricopa County election officials, who from the very start have done everything they could to obstruct the audit and who are now claiming that since their “canvass” was accurate, they don’t need to do anything else.

>>> Debunking the Left’s Propaganda on Voting

That attitude is wrong. The audit seems to have revealed that sloppy, careless and chaotic procedures were utilized in Maricopa County during the last election. Officials there have a duty to not only investigate all of the potential problems the audit found, such as potential multiple registrations by the same individual, but to correct their procedures and implement better training for their election workers to ensure that such problems, if confirmed, do not happen again.

Opposing the conduct of election audits is unwise and unjustified. Audits are a routine occurrence in the business world for good reason. Conducting random or comprehensive audits after an election in every state should also be routine.

Contrary to the bizarre claim of election officials in Harris County, Texas, that audits are “an attack by officials on our communities’ trust in elections”, audits are a form of transparency, ensuring the security of the election process and improving the confidence of the public in the integrity of elections.

We can agree that President Biden is the legal winner of the 2020 election. We should also agree that the serious problems that occurred surrounding it need to fixed if we are to avoid a potential conflict over the 2024 results.

John Fund is a Senior Fellow and Director of Government Finance Programs for the Heritage Foundation. Hans A. von Spakovsky serves on the Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Initiative and is a Senior Legal Fellow.

This piece originally appeared in The Spectator World

More States Join Arizona In Pushing Back On Biden’s Plan For Private Business Vaccine Mandate

More States Join Arizona In Pushing Back On Biden’s Plan For Private Business Vaccine Mandate

By Terri Jo Neff |

On Sept. 14, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich sued President Joe Biden in federal court, firing one of the first salvos against a plan to create a national rule forcing private companies with 100 or more employees to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees or face substantial fines for non-compliance.

Several other state attorneys general are also pushing back, not only threatening legal action but also clarifying to private business owners and their employees that there is no national vaccination mandate at this time.

Biden’s plan announced Sept. 9 would create an emergency rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). As of today, the closet the mandate has come to reality is an Oct. 12 draft of the emergency rule currently under review by the Office of Management and Budget.

Brnovich’s lawsuit contends a mandate against private businesses is one of the greatest infringements upon individual liberties and separation of powers ever attempted by a President. It also contends that at the same time millions of Arizonans would be forced to get vaccinated to keep their jobs, the White House is allowing throngs of undocumented immigrants into the state without any vaccination requirement.

Also named as defendants are U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Troy Miller; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Commissioner Tae Johnson. There has been no response filed yet in the lawsuit which will be heard in the U.S. District Court in Phoenix.

Another of the attorneys general speaking out about Biden’s plan is Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who said the private employer mandate is “not the way the Constitution works” and that the White House doesn’t have the authority to impose such a rule.

Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor is another who is willing to follow Brnovich’s lead with litigation.

“In the event federal emergency rules are issued that place such an unlawful demand upon employers, our office will be joined by other state Attorneys General across the country to quickly sue and seek an injunction against any implementation or enforcement,” O’Connor stated, adding that any Oklahoma employer who mandates a COVID-19 vaccination does so at their own risk.

There is also Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who wrote a letter to “All Montanans” on Oct. 14 with clarification on Biden’s plan.

“There has been a great deal of confusion following President Biden’s speech regarding vaccines and whether his speech trumps Montana law,” Knudsen wrote, adding that “no such rule or regulation is currently in effect.”

Knudson pointed out it is illegal under Montana state law to discriminate based on vaccination status. He also provided information on who citizens can report violations.

But before the Biden Administration can move closer to imposing a mandate the language of the OSHA rule must be published in the Federal Register for public comment.  In the meantime, various legal challenges have been brought against the President over his order that federal workers and military members be vaccinated or risk losing their job.

Ducey Commits $5 Million For Small Businesses

Ducey Commits $5 Million For Small Businesses

Governor Doug Ducey is committing an additional $5 million to help Arizona small businesses recover from the economic consequences of the pandemic and extreme weather conditions.

Governor Ducey launched the Back to Work Small Business Rehiring and Retention Program in August and has invested a total of $10 million in the program to support small, locally-owned businesses. Recipients of the first round of funding have been identified and distribution of funds has begun. Today’s additional funding from the Governor will fulfill outstanding requests from applicants.

“Small businesses are the backbone of Arizona’s economy, and we’re dedicated to helping them fully recover,” said Governor Ducey. “I’m optimistic today’s additional investment will help small businesses around the state bounce back from the countless challenges of this past year and build for the future. I thank the small business community for their resilience and their continued efforts to help Arizona emerge out of the pandemic stronger than ever.”

This year, wildfires, storms and flooding impacted small businesses’ operations and employment opportunities. The Small Business Rehiring and Retention Program is designed to assist small, locally owned or operated businesses hire and retain employees and continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic and extreme weather conditions, like wildfires and flooding.

The Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a recipient of the first round of funding. The Center works with clients to help them achieve independence and develop the skills needed to go to work, go to school and actively participate in society.

“Our team is thrilled to receive funding that will help us continue to support and empower Arizonans experiencing vision loss,” said Steve Tepper, executive director of the Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and member of the Governor’s Council on Blindness and Visual Impairment. “Visually impaired individuals and their loved ones deserve to have access to effective resources and programs — and our incredible staff makes sure they get the help they need. My thanks goes to Governor Ducey for supporting the Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and our efforts to help those with vision loss achieve their full potential.”

The program will fund up to $10,000 in expenditures for employee hiring/signing bonuses, relocation bonuses for employees that are moving to take an open position, and employee retention bonuses.

An Arizona business must meet certain eligibility requirements to receive funding. A business must be: owned and operated in the state of Arizona; incorporated before January 1, 2020; rent or lease a physical location in Arizona; and have between five and 25 total employees that work at the physical location. Eligible businesses in areas impacted by wildfires or floods may have up to 50 employees.

The Small Business Rehiring and Retention Program is a component of Governor Ducey’s “Arizona Back to Work” plan, which supports Arizonans getting back to work and filling the thousands of jobs available across the state.

Facebook Admits to Aiding Human Smuggling, Per Arizona Attorney General

Facebook Admits to Aiding Human Smuggling, Per Arizona Attorney General

By Corinne Murdock |

Facebook admitted to aiding human smuggling across the border, according to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Brnovich submitted an inquiry letter at the end of June, asking Facebook about reports that coyotes (human smugglers) and drug cartels use their platform to advertise human smuggling across the border for purposes of illegal entry and sex trafficking.

In a response at the end of August, Facebook stated that while they do prohibit posts offering smuggling services, they do allow content that instructs people how to enter the country illegally or offers further information about how to be smuggled. The social media giant defended this approach as compromise allowing illegal immigrants information on asylum-seeking while minimizing human trafficking exploitation. Facebook cited “human rights experts” as their guide on this matter. The social media giant didn’t address concerns of sex trafficking in its response letter.

“We have been working diligently to proactively remove content related to drug trafficking or promoting human smuggling services from our platform. As an initial matter, our policies prohibit the use of our services for illegal purposes. Our Terms of Service make clear that individuals who violate our policies may be subject to penalties, including but not limited to, having their accounts banned. We don’t allow […] criminal organizations to operate on our platform. We remove posts and reject ads when we see this kind of behavior to keep people safe. We also prohibit sharing content that offers to provide or facilitate human smuggling, which includes advertising a human smuggling service. We do allow people to share information about how to enter a country illegally or request information about how to be smuggled. After consultation with human rights experts, we developed this policy to ensure we were prohibiting content relating to the business of human smuggling but not interfering with people’s ability to exercise their right to seek asylum, which is recognized in international law. Allowing people to seek and share information related to smuggling can also help minimize the likelihood of them being exploited by human traffickers.” (emphasis added)

On Thursday, Brnovich asked U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Facebook for admitting to facilitating and encouraging human smuggling.

“[O]ur office requests that your Department investigate Facebook’s facilitation of human smuggling at Arizona’s southern border and stop its active encouragement and facilitation of illegal entry,” wrote Brnovich.

In a press release, Brnovich claimed that Facebook’s actions spoke to a larger issue with Big Tech: a flagrant contempt for the law coupled with the desire to retain its power and profit.

“This is another example of how out of touch Big Tech is with America,” asserted Brnovich. “The cartels are seizing control of our southern border, and shame on anyone who is exploiting this crisis to enrich themselves.”

In their response letter, Facebook referenced its policy prohibiting individuals from “facilitating, organizing, promoting, or admitting to certain criminal or harmful activities targeted at people, businesses, property, or animals.” Their only allowance concerns debate, advocacy, and spreading awareness about harmful or criminal activities.

“In an effort to prevent and disrupt offline harm and copycat behavior, we prohibit people from facilitating, organizing, promoting or admitting to certain criminal or harmful activities targeted at people, businesses, property or animals. We allow people to debate and advocate for the legality of criminal and harmful activities, as well as draw attention to harmful or criminal activity that they may witness or experience as long as they do not advocate for or coordinate harm.”

One of the most recent famous examples of this policy in action was when the social media giant banned previous President Donald Trump for “his praise” of the “violence” that occurred on January 6. The ban was indefinite at first, but was later shortened to a period of two years upon further review.

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.

Raytheon’s Arizona Employees Resisting Vaccine Mandate

Raytheon’s Arizona Employees Resisting Vaccine Mandate

By Corinne Murdock |

Raytheon’s employees at their Tucson headquarters are resisting the defense company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. On Thursday, a group protested outside of the headquarters.

The protesting employees have created a website to give fellow employees information on their rights, options, and samples of religious exemption letters that were accepted by Raytheon, as well as any updates and legal or legislative news.

All of the accepted religious exemption letters cited an objection to the vaccine’s development using fetal cell lines or tissues, from the perspective of the Catholic or Christian faiths.

Project Veritas, an outlet construed as “far-right” that specializes in investigative and undercover reporting, discovered via internal emails from a whistleblower that Pfizer had attempted to hide the fact that aborted fetal cell lines and tissues were used in the development of mRNA vaccines.

The Raytheon employees also included letters to the FDA from Dr. Patricia Lee and her legal representation, Siri & Glimstad. As an emergency room doctor for over 15 years, Lee attested that she’d never before seen the number of vaccine injuries that she’s witnessed from the COVID-19 vaccine. Lee said these injuries were serious, often fatal: transverse myelitis resulting in quadriplegia (inflammation on both sides of the spinal cord, resulting in paralysis of all four limbs), pneumocystis pneumonia (a type of pneumonia normally only seen with weakened immune systems, usually HIV/AIDS patients or those taking immunosuppressants), multi-system organ failure, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (blood clots in the brain), postpartum hemorrhagic shock and septic shock (life-threatening issues following birth), and disseminated CMV and CMV viremia (flu-like symptoms, most common in immunosuppressed patients).

“It appears statistically improbable that any one physician should witness this many COVID-19 vaccine injuries if the federal health authority claims regarding Covid-19 vaccine safety were accurate,” asserted Lee.

Lee also claimed that many of her colleagues are also reporting similar issues.

According to the employees, Raytheon also pushed up their vaccination deadline. Originally, the deadline was New Year’s Eve. Now, Raytheon wants all employees to comply by December 8.

One Raytheon employee appeared in a radio interview with The Conservative Circus. He explained that Raytheon can’t afford to lose employees over their vaccine mandate. According to the employee, “Ernie,” the company’s Tucson headquarters hosted a job fair recently where around 3,000 people showed up. Out of all those applicants, two or three were offered a job: most didn’t have the qualifications or couldn’t get the security clearances.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do and why they think this is going to be a good thing,” said Ernie.

Ernie also disclosed that no talks about vaccine mandates were ever occurring prior to the Biden Administration. He also revealed that half of the people who recently got sick from COVID-19 were breakthrough cases – they were vaccinated.

Ernie also revealed that Raytheon was asking invasive questions concerning religious exemption requests. These included: how often do you attend worship services? Do you abstain from taking other medicines that were possibly developed from aborted fetal cell lines or tissues?

Early last month, President Joe Biden issued a mandate requiring any companies with over 100 employees to either have their workforce vaccinated or subjected to frequent testing.

This latest mandate from Biden may follow the patterns of another vaccine-related mandate: earlier this year, Biden required all federal employees and contractors to either be vaccinated or subjected to frequent testing. With this latest mandate, Biden dropped the option of frequent testing – now, federal employees must be vaccinated.

Raytheon’s other deadline for employees for disclosure was on Friday. There are approximately 13,000 employees at the Tucson headquarters.

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.