The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Wednesday to allocate up to $480k to perform an election audit in cooperation with the Maricopa County Elections Department and the County Recorder’s Office.
According to Maricopa County, the board has approved funding for two distinct independent reviews to be conducted on the technology employed by election officials as well as a comprehensive review of election processes. VoteBeat reporter Jen Fifield revealed in a post to X that the cost breakdown will be $80k for the technology review and $400k to review election processes to be conducted by outside firms through the normal Request for Proposal Process.
The Board of Supervisors’ website for the review detailed that the technology review will “make sure election equipment was not tampered with during the 2024 election cycle and cannot connect to the internet. The last in-depth review of our tabulation equipment was completed in 2021, and the County has replaced and upgraded many components of our tabulation equipment.”
Regarding the process review, investigators will “include extensive research about key aspects of the election process, especially those that seem to prompt confusion or concern, including: Physical Security, Chain of custody, Tabulation.”
The board noted that “The process will be overseen by the Maricopa County Internal Audit Department and will be free of Board and staff influence.”
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Thomas Galvin said in a statement, “In my Chairman’s speech, I promised an independent review of Maricopa County election processes and procedures. That work starts today with Board approval of funding to our Internal Audit Department for a comprehensive review on key aspects of election administration in Maricopa County. We want to continue expanding transparency with the public and make adjustments where they are necessary. We welcome the opportunity to improve! I believe this comprehensive review, coupled with action from the state legislature to reform outdated laws, will give voters more confidence and ultimately strengthen American democracy.”
He posted to X, “The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to hire an independent 3rd party to review our elections procedures & identify areas to improve. I’m proud to work with colleagues who are committed to operational excellence”
In a press release, Vice Chair Kate Brophy McGee, District 3, said, ““We are united in our belief that Maricopa County administers free and fair elections. However, I believe this comprehensive review will give voters more confidence and ultimately strengthen American democracy.”
Emphasizing the need for an audit by outside firms, Supervisor Mark Stewart, District 1, said in a statement, “Maricopa County deserves best-in-class elections. Today, a united Board took action to invest in a comprehensive, independent review of election processes and procedures because we recognize the value of outside expertise.”
“I hear it every day from friends and neighbors—they want a government that operates in plain view, that’s accountable to the people, and that jumps at the opportunity to get better. That’s what this comprehensive review is about, and I’m excited that we are moving forward with it on behalf of voters.”
According to the release, the board will release the findings generated by the auditors hired “in a public setting, without edits, revisions or changes,” with the board stating, “The auditors’ work will be theirs and theirs alone.”
In later posts to X, responding to reports from AZCentral, Galvin openly criticized the 2022 Election Audit conducted by the firm Cyber Ninjas, commissioned by the Arizona Senate. He said, “I’m very proud of the fact that we’re going to allow a third party to come in and show us where we can do better. But when we emerge out of that, you’re going to see a stronger, more robust board … advocate for much needed election reforms at the state level.”
“I actually think the timing is perfect. …we’re not defensive and that we’re open to new ideas,” he added. “This is how you do it — not the way the Cyber Ninjas audit was done. So, frankly, I want to show that this is the right way to do it.”
Following the unanimous vote, the meeting of the Board of Supervisors ended abruptly after four of the 19 registered public commenters spoke. Galvin cited “too much yelling” for the reason of the abrupt ending. The discord centered around the ongoing disagreement between Galvin and Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap regarding an agreement between former Recorder Stephen Richer and the outgoing Board of Supervisors, which set the election areas of responsibility for each office.
Merissa Hamilton of Strong Communities Action/EZAZ.org stated that Supervisors Stewart and Lesko remained to engage with the public following adjournment.
Arizona’s former secretary of state, state senator, and 2020 election auditor, Ken Bennett, will serve as chair of AUDIT USA.
AUDIT USA — Americans United for Democracy, Integrity, and Transparency in Elections — is a nonprofit dedicated to public oversight of elections that best deters election fraud. Bennett, a Republican, will lead AUDIT USA, though it maintains a bipartisan cohort and its co-founder is a self-described “progressive Democrat.”
AUDIT USA’s current efforts focus on establishing Auditable Ballot Examination (ABE), an audit system independent of the Election Management System enabling officials and voters to verify election outcomes through access to anonymized digital ballot images. ABE reportedly boasts the capability of sorting by race, precinct, overvotes, undervotes, and write-in candidates promptly.
AUDIT USA offers a version of ABE that operates as a beta to showcase its capabilities.
AUDIT USA worked on ABE-prompted bipartisan legislation in 2023 that gained the support of Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
“In an era where democracy faces unprecedented challenges, every vote must be verifiable, and every citizen must have access to clear, trustworthy election data,” stated Bennett in a press release.
Fontes, in a statement, said he welcomed the proof of clean elections that the proposed audit system would afford.
“[This tool would] get rid of the election fraud nonsense,” said Fontes. “Get rid of the lies and the conspiracy theories once and for all.”
Other goals of AUDIT USA include email-enabled excel spreadsheets hyperlinked to securely stored, cloud-based ballot images; optimizing platforms to become more user friendly; and improving verification systems to increase the accuracy and speed of cross-check examinations of election results.
Bennett served as the Arizona Senate’s liaison during the audit of Maricopa County’s 2020 election results conducted by private data firm Cyber Ninjas. Around that stint in elections oversight, Bennett served in the State Senate from 1999 to 2007 and then 2023 to 2025.
Bennett capitalized on that latter return to the Arizona legislature to advocate for election integrity improvements. He was the lawmaker who led on the ABE-inspired legislation in 2023, and in 2024 he attempted to realize the proposal again through a $2 million designation from the budget to pay for the creation of the analytical tool.
In that 2023 proposal, SB1324, Bennett’s pitch to lawmakers cited the close loss endured by now-Congressman Abe Hamadeh in the attorney general’s race. Bennett argued that voters would have more confidence if they could see for themselves that the 280-vote lead by Mayes was truly owing to thousands of voters declining to vote in that race.
Governor Katie Hobbs ultimately vetoed the bill after it was substituted for HB2560 with its similar provisions. Hobbs claimed the bill would create problems with anonymity and both misinformation and disinformation.
AUDIT USA co-founder John Brakey served under Bennett as deputy liaison for the 2021 election audit. Brakey currently serves as the organization director. Other members: secretary and treasurer Arlene Leaf, and board members Bill Risner, Bennie Smith, Lynn Bernstein, and Susan Pynchon.
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Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap lacks key elections powers, thanks to late decisions by his predecessor and the former Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (BOS).
Reportedly, Heap is operating without a full budget, staff, IT support, access to county buildings, and confirmation of his deputy recorder selection. State lawmakers with the Arizona Freedom Caucus blamed BOS Chair Thomas Galvin for these ongoing limitations to Heap’s authority.
State Senator Jake Hoffman urged Maricopa County residents to contact Galvin over the changes.
“Supervisor Thomas Galvin has STRIPPED Recorder Justin Heap of his control over our Elections and is REFUSING to reinstate it,” said Hoffman.
🚨ELECTION INTEGRITY ALERT
Corruption in Maricopa County!
Supervisor @ThomasGalvin has STRIPPED Recorder @azJustinHeap of his control over our Elections and is REFUSING to reinstate it
Email & Call him now! Thomas.Galvin@maricopa.gov (602) 506-7431
Much of these developments occurred back in October, when the outgoing BOS members and former Recorder Stephen Richer approved changes to the powers of the recorder’s office. The changes took effect in December.
Under that agreement, the BOS assumed control over the recorder’s $5 million budget and IT staff.
Additionally, the BOS appoints the early ballot processing board. Prior to that agreement, the recorder oversaw early ballot processing.
In a statement issued at the time of the agreement, a county spokesperson said the county made changes to make the recorder’s office more efficient.
“In Arizona, elections are administered by the County Board of Supervisors and the County Recorder. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Recorder’s Office have had agreements in place to manage these administrative functions since the 1950s,” said the spokesperson. “The update to the current agreement will adjust administrative responsibilities to create efficiencies, most notably in Information Technology-related services.”
Ultimately, Arizona law empowers county boards of supervisors with authority over election administration.
Despite these limitations, Heap has continued to work around the restrictions on his position.
Last week, Heap announced his office’s policy change allowing bipartisan election observers into the signature verification room.
Heap has done more than that his first month in office. In an update issued on Friday, the recorder recapped other accomplishments from his first days: removing a record number of inactive voters from voter registration rolls, preparing for impending upgrades to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) process for military personnel on deployment, and eliminating the salaries and positions of six external communications officers to free up resources for elections databases and systems.
In that update, Heap addressed the allegations against Galvin and his predecessor. Heap disclosed that he anticipates a new agreement with the BOS will emerge soon reinstating his authority.
“I am currently working with the members of the Board of Supervisors to replace this agreement with one that serves the people and the mission they gave me to ensure future elections in Maricopa County are fully secure, efficiently operated and, above all, accurate. I am hopeful that we will have a new agreement in the near future that helps us all achieve those aims,” said Heap.
Had a great first month at the Recorder’s office with exciting initiatives leading to more transparency and confidence in our election processes!
There is a lot more planned, and this update is a great summary of our accomplishments and challenges facing the office: https://t.co/LCMJELAawB
— Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) February 8, 2025
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Another election has come and gone, and once again Arizona showed the nation that it doesn’t know how to count votes. Like a bad movie we are forced to watch every two years, rampant delays in processing early ballots left voters waiting over a week to find out who won key races in the state.
Virtually everyone around the country watching our slow-motion election train wreck, from major media outlets to national pundits, agreed that fixing Arizona’s tabulation process is long overdue.
Everyone, that is, except Governor Katie Hobbs and her partisan Democrat allies in the legislature.
This shouldn’t be a total shock to those who have followed previous attempts to reform our election system. Over the last couple of years, Democrats have opposed popular election reforms like requiring basic proof of citizenship to vote, all while millions were pouring in illegally through the southern border. They argued against commonsense voter ID laws, claiming our elections are safe and secure without them (and California democrats even banned voter ID outright).
And now, after Arizona was again one of the last states to finish ballot processing, the Democrats remain opposed to ensuring we have election night results…
A longtime west valley public servant is making good on a campaign promise in her new office.
Former U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko was sworn into the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for District 4 on Monday. In a post following the ceremony, Lesko said, “Honored to be sworn in today as your Maricopa County Supervisor. Thank you to the great people of the West Valley for your continued support! My priorities include public safety, election integrity and ensuring your taxpayer dollars are used wisely.”
Honored to be sworn in today as your Maricopa County Supervisor. Thank you to the great people of the West Valley for your continued support! My priorities include public safety, election integrity and ensuring your taxpayer dollars are used wisely. pic.twitter.com/sAjPt7LVxa
In her first address as a county supervisor, Lesko confirmed that she would be “pushing … for a comprehensive audit of the entire election system in Maricopa County” – as a part of her priority to safeguard election integrity in her jurisdiction, which she had promised voters on the campaign trail. Supervisor Lesko also clarified her strong desire that this audit would be undertaken by a “reputable firm.” She received applause from some members of the audience at the Board of Supervisors meeting – its first of the new year and term.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisor @DebbieLesko says she will be “pushing and have talked to people about it, for a compressive audit of the entire election system in Maricopa County…” @abc15pic.twitter.com/Hy8kpPKcLZ
The new chairman of the Board, Supervisor Thomas Galvin, announced that he and his colleagues would, in fact, spearhead a “comprehensive review” of Maricopa County’s elections this year to “ensure we are operating at optimum quality.”
BREAKING: Maricopa County supervisors will commission a "comprehensive audit" of the county's election system this year, new Chairman @ThomasGalvin announces.
Supervisor @DebbieLesko says she wants this done by a "reputable firm."
Supervisor Lesko also noted her call late last year with the Florida Secretary of State and Arizona Senate President, where the group discussed “the differences between the states’ election systems and…areas where we can improve.” Republicans on this board will be looking to the Governor and state legislature to enact changes in statute to improve speed and efficiency of election results across Arizona.
Lesko’s successor in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Abraham Hamadeh, noted the efforts from his predecessor on the election front, writing, “Congratulations to former Congresswoman and now Maricopa County Supervisor Debbie Lesko on her swearing-in! Supervisor Lesko is already hitting the ground running honoring her commitment to election integrity by proposing a full audit of our election system processes.”
Congratulations to former Congresswoman and now Maricopa County Supervisor @DebbieLesko on her swearing-in! Supervisor Lesko is already hitting the ground running honoring her commitment to election integrity by proposing a full audit of our election system process. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/BGySuIveZs
